The premise of an uptight workaholic, in this case, fire station leader Jake Carson (John Cena) being stuck with a trio of misfit children has worked in the past. The missing element here is a solid script with strong characters. The jokes, when they do arrive are just not funny enough to carry the film.

There are some gross out moments that elicit a rumbling of laughs from the audience, but those moments are few and far between. Few comedies in recent memory have been so bereft of frequent laughter. It does however feature a few charming moments between the adult and child actors.

Maybe it was a rushed production schedule or a clash of egos, someone along the line should have put forth a dissenting voice and worked harder on the end results. As it is, if Cena is counting on Playing with Fire being a break out role, he shouldn’t quit his day job anytime soon.
Rob Hudson
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Unable to locate the children’s parents, the firefighters have their lives, jobs and even their fire depot turned upside down and quickly learn that kids – much like fires –are wild and unpredictable.

Playing With Fire is in Australian Cinemas January 9, 2020!
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