The Phantom Tollbooth - Movies Reviews Index


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Home Subscribe About Us Features News Album Reviews Movie Reviews Past Movies Movie Resources Concert Reviews Book Reviews Top 10 Contact Us	Play the Game Stars: Andy Griffith, Paul Campbell, Doris Roberts, Marla Sokoloff, Liz Sheridan, Clint Howard, Rance Howard, Geoffrey Owens and Juliette Jeffers Director/Scriptwriter: Marc Fienberg Story Films Rating: PG 13 for language and themed content Running Length: 105 minutes Marc Fienberg’s film, Play the Game gives us the story of a grandfather, Joe (Andy Griffith) and his grandson, David (Paul Campbell) who are very close. Grandpa is in a retirement facility with not much to do, while the grandson works as a car salesman and tries to score with chicks. The grandson's best friend is married, but that doesn’t stop him from scheming to meet women and Play the Game comes to mean two things. Playing the car game and playing the love game. Can you win at both? David (Paul Campbell) sells cars right and left with his questionable tactics. His Dad (Clint Howard) and Dad’s father, Joe (Andy Griffith) aren’t that close, and Dad even wants David to call him by his first name in the business world, as David works for Dad. Joe is in a retirement home and mourning the loss of his wife two years ago. It is when David notices Joe is in a slump that he decides to help with suggestions of his own, and this reads like an NFL playbook. Joe has his eye on Rose (Doris Roberts) but she has a boyfriend. However, Edna (Liz Sheridan) is something else and she definitely has her eye on Joe. In the meantime, David has spotted Julie (Marla Sokoloff) and puts his tactics into action. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to work on Julie and the amusing parts come with Joe’s success with the ladies and David’s failure to connect. Both are surprised at what is happening. The chick magnet is almost 80 years old. Andy Griffith plays Joe as a man with a definite gleam in his eye when taking certain chemical enhancements. Griffith and Liz Sheridan are an amusing couple. David Mitchell has Paul’s used car salesman speech and his awkwardness with Julie down pat. It is Marla Sokoloff’s Julie that is bland. The character could have been interesting, but just doesn't sparkle. Geoffrey Owens as David’s best friend, Rob, steals his scenes as a man with a domineering wife (Juliette Jeffers). Play the Game could have been done in 80 minutes instead of 105. It reads like a TV sitcom and you pretty much know what is going to happen, but it is fun getting there. Life at this retirement home definitely swings. For trivia fans, Rance Howard is the father of actor Clint Howard and director Ron Howard, plus grandfather to actress Bryce Dallas Howard. Copyright 2009 Marie Asner