“Never Say No” Joe Kingman (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) is a self-obsessed football player who is chasing a national championship. He scores the final touchdown (as usual) and qualifies his team to be in the championship. Things are looking up for Joe when suddenly, his 8-year-old daughter, Peyton (Madison Pettis, “Cory in the House”), shows up at his doorstep. When Joe does not believe she is his daughter, she shows him her birth certificate, therefore giving him no choice but to let her stay with him while her mom is in Africa.

From the moment Peyton steps inside his stylish and Elvis-inspired condo, she unintentionally starts to make Joe’s life a living nightmare. When Joe’s teammates discover Peyton, they think she is the cutest thing. Even the biggest, meanest, (and probably the smelliest) player on the team takes kindly to her. On the way to one game, Peyton feed Joe cinnamon cookies, but he is allergic to cinnamon, and he ends up sounding like an idiot on live television to make a commercial about his team.

Peyton also makes Joe give up his own bed, giving him only the couch to sleep on. When Peyton asks Joe for ballet lessons, he first says no, but takes her anyway so she will be happy. Once at the ballet building, Joe sets his eyes on the beautiful ballet teacher, who doesn’t know who Joe Kingman is. To this Joe says-You must live under a rock!

He must sit with the other moms to watch Peyton. The ballet teacher tells Joe that the parents have to do activities that are fun for the students, and she enlists him to help. Later, Joe, Peyton, and the ballet teacher go out to dinner and Peyton eats nuts (which she is allergic to), and has to go to the hospital.

I will not tell you any more so I won’t spoil the film, but there are some twists. Questions: Will Peyton die? Will Peyton come to live with Joe? See this family comedy and find out. Rated PG for thematic elements. Thank goodness they finally made a good kid’s movie- I was getting tired of just doing homework!

*** 1/2

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