The Family Plan: Amiable spyjinks

The Family Plan (2023) • View trailer

3.5 stars (out of five). Rated PG-13, for comedic action violence, brief sexual candor and fleeting profanity

Available via: Apple TV+

By Derrick Bang

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.

 

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.

David Coggeshall’s larkish script is a far cry from the horror genre that has dominated his career until now. The premise here may be cliché in the realm of spy comedies, but he develops it well, and grants us an appealing set of characters. Director Simon Cellan Jones and editor Tim Porter maintain a reasonably brisk pace, although their two-hour film would be tighter with 10 to 15 minutes shaved off.

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.