Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is the MVP of this formulaic family flick about superstar football quarterback Joe Kingman (Johnson) and 8-year-old Peyton Kelly (Madison Pettis), who shows up one day and announces that she is the daughter Joe never knew he had from a years-ago romance. There’s more to the child’s history (and it’s sort of easy to figure out), but the story finds the charismatic and undeniably funny Johnson getting involved in all sorts of physical and emotional situations and emerging with a big grin on his face—while growing into a respectable daddy-like figure, of course. Although a bit too long and occasionally cartoonish, The Game Plan is mostly competent, diverting entertainment that’s sure to be one of the first quarter’s bigger family titles.

Shelf Talk: It’s hard to believe that “The Rock” was a professional wrestler only a few short years ago and now appears to be a starting player in the Disney lineup (he’s set to go into production on Disney’s Witch Mountain remake this spring). He’s the strongest selling point here, but don’t forget that The Game Plan takes the field two weeks before the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, and that could inspire business or, perish the thought, counter-programming promotions.