the comedy is broad and slapstick, but ultimately the film is heartwarming and lovely; The story may be predictable, but the message in Playing With Fire is sweet
John Cena charms, but slapstick-heavy comedy doesn't fully spark; "Playing with Fire" isn't nearly as quotable or memorable as "Kindergarten Cop", but the cast has enough comedic chemistry to keep families entertained
it's more tedious than unwatchable, and pint-size John Cena fans may be curious to see him in "Blockers" or "Trainwreck"; Sadly, the movie never shows similar curiosity about what its young audience, and subjects, might be thinking or feeling
even kids won't be amused by this tiresome tale; The film is bland and predictable, underestimates kids' abilities to understand story and humor, and relies way too much on sight gags that are cliched and overdone
even at one-and-a-half hours, it felt far too long; the film drags in a way that makes it unclear who the audience should be. Will kids care about this man's career or that he is bad at dating? Nobody will
despite the novel setting, the director Andy Fickman has made a visually flat film. The editing is frequently awkward, clunkily overemphasizing physical gags, and lingering too long on the actors as they try to light up dusty material
"Playing with Fire" is harmless enough, a lighthearted romp about tough guys learning to let their guard down. But it relies on tired, lowbrow comedy tropes and is executed so poorly that it's not worth the effort