Marky Mark does it again
“SAFE” is one of those words I try to avoid using to describe a movie, but it seems rather relevant when dissecting Mark Wahlberg’s latest offering “The Family Plan”. It was neither the worst movie of 2023 nor is it a classic “Marky Mark” movie.
For those not in the know, Marky Mark is Wahlberg’s former stage name from his rap music days.
“The Family Plan” has a simple plot, one that is easy to follow, and Wahlberg puts up a solid performance.
The movie also finds just the right amount of humour and action to make for good viewing. Unfortunately, not enough time is spent on building some of the movie’s key characters.
The protagonist is largely forgettable and the big twist, at the end, comes off as lazy and forced.
Luckily for both Wahlberg and Apple TV, the decision to release the film during the December holidays was commendable and it found me in the giving mood. It is for this reason alone that I have decided to grade “The Family Plan” on a curve, and will give it a pass.
Dan Morgan (Wahlberg) is a former special forces assassin who decides to give up on the life of killing and transition into a suburban life.
He is now a car salesman, married to a stay-at-home mom Jessica (Michelle Monaghan), who takes up kickboxing classes when not taking care of their three kids — Nina (Zoe Colletti), Kyle (Van Crosby) and baby Max (played by twins Lliana and Vienna Norris).
However, Dan’s perfect suburban life gets turned upside down when assassins from his former life start popping up and try to kill him.
He then fakes a family trip to Las Vegas, where he intends to finally come clean and start over with new identities and a new location.
What ensues is a thrill ride of fight scenes and car chases, sprinkled with a little humour.
The film is all right and makes for some fun family viewing, as Wahlberg is in his element in these kind of roles.
These are the family man-oriented roles. Monaghan also does a good job as a bored suburban housewife craving for a little danger and excitement in her life.
She also adds a new layer to her repertoire, as the 47-year-old actress carries some of the more comic beats with aplomb.
Had David Coggeshell, who penned the script, given her more physical things to do, then she could have lightened the load off Wahlberg.
The sad part about the whole movie is that the rest of the cast comes off as half-baked; not much detail and attention are given to their characters.
McCaffrey (Ciaran Hinds) is a forgettable villain, while Maggie Q (Gwen) is totally wasted in the movie.
However, if you are still in the holiday mood and have two hours to kill, then “The Family Plan” is not a bad choice to watch.
Just do not let the trailer fool you and go in with huge expectations.