This one couldn’t be more ridiculous.
But it’s an enjoyable level of “silly,” which makes all the difference: perfect for a turn-off-the-brain Friday evening.
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| It's Vegas, baby! Only Dan (Mark Wahlberg, far left) knows why he has made this road trip with the family — from left, baby Max (Iliana Norris), Jessica (Michelle Monaghan), Nine (Zoe Colletti) and Kyle (Van Crosby) — but they're about to find out. |
Even so, I didn’t mind the length.
Dan Morgan (Mark Wahlberg) has carved out a happy suburban life as a devoted husband and father of three children. He’s content in his career as a successful car salesman; he’s amiable and remarkably persuasive. The key word he’d use to describe his life is peaceful: no stress, no excitement, no grandiose desires.
The key word his family likely would use is boring. Wife Jessica (Michelle Monaghan), although happy, wouldn’t be bothered if Dan showed more ambition; teenagers Nina (Zoe Colletti) and Kyle (Van Crosby) roll their eyes at the day-to-day sameness.
Ten-month-old Max (Iliana Norris), cute as a button, isn’t old enough to be bothered.
Ah, but...
Sharp-eyed viewers may wonder, early on, why Dan takes such pains to avoid publicity. His caution goes up in smoke one day, thanks to a burst of unwelcome social media ... and suddenly he’s confronted by a hardened killer, while grocery shopping with Max strapped in a chest pouch.
This is each viewer’s make-or-break moment. If the resulting supermarket skirmish seems too silly — Dan doing his best to evade this thug, scrambling to improvise, while keeping Max out of harm’s way — then you may as well stop now. But if you’re able to roll with this cleverly choreographed fracas, what follows will be equally enjoyable.
(Frankly, I found it hilarious.)
Turns out Dan was an elite government assassin in his former life, tasked with eliminating the world’s deadliest threats. He racked up a sizeable stack of enemies in the process — most particularly the vengeful McCaffrey (Ciarán Hinds, suitably malevolent) — who now know where to find him.
Determined to protect himself and his family — while somehow preserving this secret past — Dan surprises everybody with a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas. Once there, they’ll assume new identities and (he hopes) once again fade into obscurity.
As for how he expects Jessica and the kids to blithely go along with such plans ... well, Dan hasn’t gotten that far yet.
But he does get them into a car, and off to Vegas. With Nina and Kyle acting petulant and grumpy all the way.
Such contrived nonsense aside, Coggeshall’s script has a beguiling nugget of real-world angst experienced by adults who — having settled into a similarly comfortable family dynamic — wonder about the activities left behind, the paths not taken. And specifically this question: “Does my family have any idea how interesting I used to be?”
Needless to say, Dan’s attempt to keep McCaffrey — and his inexhaustible supply of killers — off their trail, is unsuccessful. Similarly, Dan’s progressively bizarre behavior can’t help being noticed, and Jones and Coggeshall develop mild suspense as we wait for The Big Reveal.
When that moment finally comes, it’s definitely worth the wait.
Wahlberg handles all this balderdash with a smooth blend of well-timed light comedy and (modestly) credible physical prowess. His motor-mouthed patter and aw-shucks, “Who, me?” sincerity go a long way toward selling this improbable scenario, which in turn keeps things entertaining.
Monaghan is equally game, although she can’t quite peddle Jessica’s willingness to go along with the whole road trip/Vegas thing. (Frankly, I doubt there’s an actor alive who could sell that moment.) Even so, Monaghan similarly gets into the spirit of things.
Colletti nails Nina’s cynicism and angst; as the eldest child, nearing high school graduation, her goals obviously don’t mesh with what her parents might prefer. Indeed, to their horror, she has abandoned former college plans — suited to her academic strengths — in order to follow boyfriend Trevor to his school.
In a nice bit of parallel structure, Crosby’s Kyle has his own secret life. On the surface he seems a typically smart-mouthed, slacker teen, but — without his parents’ knowledge — he actually has established a career as a pro-level gamer who’s known as “Killboy” to legions of online fans. Ergo, the last thing Kyle wants, is to be yanked from his clandestine access to keyboards and screens.
Maggie Q is memorable as a bad-ass killer.
Stunt coordinator Sean Graham keeps things lively, thanks to the increasingly chaotic action sequences that Jones and Coggeshall weave into this romp.
The Family Plan certainly won’t win any awards for originality, but the goal here obviously was for viewers to have a good time. In that, it succeeds quite well.
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