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Video Review: The Game Plan
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Hot-shot Player Learns to Reset His Priorities.
Your daughter’s natural musical talent lands her first-chair flute in the school band. She easily racks up trophies and awards in various solo contests. Then comes the big state band competition. Others in the band are working hard, but your daughter seems oblivious to their efforts. She is confident that she will earn her school top honors in the contest.
That "me, first!" attitude may work for reality TV – but not in real life. Relationships, among friends, family and even bandmates, require you to focus on someone other than yourself. That’s the message of Disney’s The Game Plan, available on home video Jan. 22. Watch the film with your family and then talk about how important it is to keep your priorities in perspective with our discussion ideas. Afterward, cheer each other on with our "Pom-pom Power" activity.
In the movie, Joe Kingman (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) is on the verge of leading his NFL team to the league championship as its star quarterback. He lounges in his tastefully appointed bachelor pad and watches footage of recent games, focusing solely on his own performance. After all, football is all that matters to Joe. Nothing can stop him.
Except an 8-year-old girl.
Peyton (Madison Pettis) shows up on his doorstep, claiming to be his daughter. She says she was born after her parents divorced – which is a surprise to Joe. Now, with her mom on a month-long mission to Africa, Peyton is ready to move in temporarily. First, she wants to get to know her dad by interviewing him. But every time she asks, "What’s the best thing that ever happened to you?" Joe gets interrupted. It is obviously Peyton’s most pressing question.
Joe and Peyton bond over the next few weeks. She accompanies him to football practice; he takes her to ballet class. Gradually, the self-centered gridiron star begins to get the hang of being a dad. Then, near tragedy strikes and he discovers just how much he loves Peyton.
Joe realizes that football is not the most important thing in his life. With his priorities reordered, he returns to the field – and his life as a dad – with the right winning attitude.
Talk Together
What’s the most important thing that ever happened to you? How did you feel when it happened? How do you feel now when you think about it?
In The Game Plan, Joe says that football is the only thing in his life that matters. Why did he feel that way? Do you think he felt that way after he got to know Peyton? Why or why not?
Talk about the people, activities and commitments that can monopolize your time and attention. Why does that happen? What can you do, as a family and as individuals, to set priorities? Make a list of those priorities – it might be different for each member of the family. Let everyone explain why each item is on his or her list.
Play Together: Pom-Pom Power
Cheer each other onto victory with these colorful pom-poms!
You will need:
- Empty toilet paper tubes (1 per person)
- Crepe paper streamers in 1 or more colors
- Stapler
- Scissors
 Cut 12-15 crepe paper streamers in 12-inch strips. Thread the streamers through the toilet paper tube, leaving about one-half inch overlapping the end of the tube. Staple the overlap to the tube. Continue attaching all the streamers this way. When they are attached, cut the streamers in half up to where they come out of the tube. Wrap the tube with extra streamers and staple into place.
Use your pom-poms to encourage each other this week. You might even try coming up with your own cheers, such as, "Hey, hey, hey! Brandon wants an ‘A’! Study hard, every day, and you will earn that ‘A’! Gooooo, Brandon!"
With some practice, your family will learn to stay focused on what’s really important!
Go to cinematters.com for more film fun!
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