Review: ‘Play The Game’

It’s the classic case of two people with opposite views learning from each other in the new romantic comedy Play The Game.

David Mitchell (Paul Campell) is great with people. He’s one one of those slick guys that can read anyone for self-gaining purposes, whether it be as a car salesman or in his journeys as a womanizer. When his job isn’t focused on selling cars at his fathers lot, it’s focused on fulfilling a promise to his late grandmother to teach his Grandpa Joe (Andy Griffith) how to date again. Grandpa Joe could really use the help too! The only problem is that David’s lessons are a bit much for Grandpa Joe, but if it helps him with the ladies, he will give it a shot. After all, he is rather lonely, and there are some fitting ladies in his retirement community. Next thing you know, Grandpa Joe transforms into a very popular bachelor on the retirement campus, sparking the interest of Edna Gordon (Liz Sheridan), trying his moves on Rose Sherman (Doris Roberts), and and putting some pep in his orthopedic shoes!

At the same time, David is trying to use his dating “powers” on his dream girl Julie (Marla Sokoloff). David soon realizes that his moves are no match for Julie. Grandpa Joe then becomes the dating Guru by showing David that when it comes to love, there are no rules, moves or tricks.

One of the most interesting parts of the film has to do with the dating values and perceptions of the two major age groups. It seems that they both have two different viewpoints at the beginning, but throughout the rest of the movie their viewpoints seem to weave in and out of each other until they both come to an understanding and realize the real rules of love, which is that there are no rules or games in love. The senior sexuality is a bit uncomfortable to watch at times. It feels a bit like you are listening to your Grandfather talking about his encounter with Viagra and his exploits with women. It’s not offensive, but I would compare it to listening to your parents talk about having sex with each other. It’s a bit creepy and uncomfortable. Even so, there are still some giggles throughout the senior on senior servicing. One such giggle was watching the amazement of Grandpa Joe at his erection after being slipped a Viagra by one of his long toothed lovers, that is, if you can get over Andy Griffith being a sexual being with a boner.

The cast contains a vast collection of television sitcom actors. Campell/ Battlestar Galactica, Roberts/ Everybody Loves Raymond, Sokoloff/ Full House and The Practice, and of couse Griffith/ The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock.

Despite a great cast and a fun concept, the movie fell a bit short. Sure it was amusing at parts, but the first half was too slow moving, and was a bit to predictable despite a few slightly clever twists.   There was nothing that really grabbed me about how it was filmed, the shots that they used, or the set. Add that to a less than mind blowing script and you have another typical romantic comedy, with the exception of the senior focus. Sure, I was amused, but that doesn’t mean that it was a great film. I have a feeling that this is going to be one of those movies that will entertain the demographic of women and seniors, and bore movie critics looking for something to make it stand out.   I am simply trying to take it for what it is, a movie that was mildly entertaining, but nothing that I would add to my personal collection, and certainly nothing that will gain notoriety or change the face of cinema as we know it.