Playing with Fire (2019)

My Review

“Playing with Fire” is a family comedy about a strict firefighting supervisor who meets his match when he and his crew rescue three rambunctious siblings and must baby-sit them until child services arrive. The comedy proceeds from there, capably directed by Andy Fickman (“Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” 2015) from a well written but formulaic screenplay by Dan Ewen and Matt Lieberman.

The cast members demonstrate good chemistry including the firefighters: John Cena, John Leguizamo, Tyler Mane, and Keegan-Michael Key. The children: Brianna Hildebrand, Christian Convery, and Finley Rose Slater. Co-stars: Judy Greer, Dennis Haysbert, and Lynda Boyd. “Playing with Fire” was a modest success in theatrical release for Nickelodeon Players, Paramount Players, Walden Media, Broken Road Productions, and Paramount Pictures. It was filmed entirely in British Columbia, Canada.