Police chief and hyper-protective father James drives his teenage daughter, Melanie, from their home in Chicago to a college interview in Washington, D.C. This is a typical road trip movie with lost cars, bumming rides on buses and planes, covering that difficult time of life when a father loses control of his daughter.
James' outlandish ruses to make his firstborn a Wildcat are fun; the push-pull parent-child dynamic generic, but sweet. But the writers comedy failsafe is "Cut to the pig!"
Independent (UK)
August 22, 2008
Oh no, it's a Martin Lawrence family comedy, and it's sponsored by Disney. What kind of a sadist put those two together? Come back, Ice Cube, all is forgiven. Actually, please don't.
It is genuinely, consistently, indisputably putrid.
Chicago Reader
March 10, 2008
The comedian Sinbad once said that Hollywood seeks out original talents but then tries to make them just like everyone else. A case in point is Martin Lawrence.
