Since leaving WWE Wrestling, John Cena has been making several comedy features. In his latest family-friendly feature, Playing with Fire, out today on DVD, Blu-Ray and digitally, he just doesn’t seem to nail it like he has before.

Along with an all-star comedy cast, Cena plays Jake “Supe” Carson, a lovable but strict firefighter, who runs a tight-knit crew, made up of Mark (Keegan-Michael Key), Rodrigo (John Leguizamo) and Axe (Tyler Mane), in California. Known as the “smoke jumpers,” the team isn’t afraid to put their lives on the line to tackle any blaze that comes their way. However, they must face their toughest challenge yet, when they save a bunch of children from a burning house, who comes to live with them at the fire station until their parents arrive.

Raising manic, panic and anarchy, the script is filled with the predictable acts you could expect from young children when faced with an empty fire station. As a family feature, young viewers will find the story comical, yet older viewers may not be as drawn in as they are. The similarities with many other features cause this one to lose its pace. Leaving a flat and not as fulfilling piece as you may have come to hope of from Cena and co.

The film isn’t completely boring however, with Key lending his sarcasm and comedy skills well within the script, when facing off with the younger cast members. At times it feels like he should have been leading the way instead of Cena. Yet, when together you see that the cast is needed in different ways to get the bits that work to do so.

With family film nights becoming ever more popular, this is a safe option for all. However, it may not be the feature that you are hoping for. Keep a hose close by in case you need to put this film out quicker.

2 Stars

Joey X