The rich comedic tradition of beefcakes taking care of kids

But is this one trope that no longer makes sense?

Playing With Fire.
(Image credit: Copyright 2019 Paramount Pictures Corporation)

The new movie Playing with Fire may not seem like a particularly distinguished comedy, but in its way, it's part of a rich, albeit very specific, tradition. Just as bodybuilder-turned-movie-star Arnold Schwarzenegger unofficially passed his tough-guy torch to wrestler-turned-movie-star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, John Cena has lined up behind The Rock to make the wrestling-to-film transition. Part of that process, it seems, is doing some funny babysitting.

Arnold did it in Kindergarten Cop, wringing comedy from posing as a teacher for a bunch of unruly five-year-olds. Following in his footsteps, Johnson did it in The Game Plan (in which a tough football player discovers he has a daughter), and Johnson's estranged Fast & Furious costar Vin Diesel did it in The Pacifier (in which a tough soldier must protect and care for a group of siblings). Now Cena's star status is conferred by doing the same in Playing with Fire, where he plays a smoke-jumping firefighter who must spend a weekend in charge of three children he rescued from a forest blaze. The movie is even directed by Andy Fickman, who made The Game Plan.

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Jesse Hassenger

Jesse Hassenger's film and culture criticism has appeared in The Onion's A.V. Club, Brooklyn Magazine, and Men's Journal online, among others. He lives in Brooklyn, where he also writes fiction, edits textbooks, and helps run SportsAlcohol.com, a pop culture blog and podcast.