Playdate (2025) – Kevin James vs. Mercenaries in the Dumbest, Fun You’ll Have All Year

Hello, movie lovers! I needed something brainless and loud—so I strapped into Playdate (2025), a PG-13 action-comedy directed by Luke Greenfield. Kevin James plays freshly fired accountant Brian, who just trying to survive his first day as a stay-at-home dad. One innocent playground invitation later, he’s teamed up with Alan Ritchson’s unhinged super-dad Jeff and running for his life from a squad of hitmen. Minivans, juice boxes, and rocket launchers ensue. I’m giving it a guilty-pleasure 6/10.

Playdate (2025) - Dad Bod Meets Die Hard in the Most Ridiculous Way Possible

Look, nobody’s claiming this is high art. Critics torched it (23% on RT), calling it “loud, lazy, and painfully unfunny.” But sometimes you just want to watch Kevin James slide across a Chuck E. Cheese ball pit while Alan Ritchson dual-wields diaper bags like Rambo. And on that front? Playdate delivers 93 minutes of pure, unapologetic stupidity.

The plot is gloriously simple: Brian (James) gets laid off, takes the kid to the park, meets Jeff (Ritchson)—a jacked, grinning lunatic who is way too calm when black SUVs start circling. Next thing you know, they’re dodging bullets through Costco aisles, suburban cul-de-sacs, and a bounce-house warehouse while trading one-liners and movie quotes (“Run, Forrest, RUN!” gets screamed at least twice). Ritchson is having the time of his life playing an ex-special-forces dad who keeps emergency grenades in the stroller, and James is the perfect straight man—sweaty, confused, and screaming “I just wanted to talk about preschool waitlists!”

Why It Works (When It Works)

• Alan Ritchson is an absolute chaos machine—every line reading is 10% louder than necessary and 100% hilarious.
• The action is creatively dumb: shopping-cart shield walls, leaf-blower flamethrowers, and a minivan chase set to “Sweet Caroline.”
• Constant movie nods—Forrest Gump, Die Hard, Home Alone, Taken—it’s a love letter to dad-movie nights.
• It knows exactly what it is and never pretends to be deeper than a kiddie pool.

Ratings and Reception

• IMDb: 5.5/10 (10,000 users)
• RT: 23% critics (26 reviews) / 60% audience
• Box office: quietly profitable on a modest budget—pure streaming/VOD fodder

Critics hated the “one-note joke stretched to 90 minutes” and “recycled gags.” Audiences who just wanted to turn their brain off for a Friday night? Mostly shrugged and said “eh, fun enough.”

The Verdict: 6/10 – Peak Background-Noise Comedy

Playdate is the cinematic equivalent of eating an entire bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos: you know it’s bad for you, it’s messy, you’ll regret it a little tomorrow, but right now it’s delicious. If you love Kevin James falling down, Alan Ritchson being an absolute maniac, and action scenes set in places you actually go every weekend—this is your movie. Everyone else can skip it without guilt.

I laughed more than I expected, quoted it with friends the next day, and will never watch it again. Perfect 6/10 experience.

What about you? Did Ritchson’s psycho-dad energy win you over, or did the whole thing feel like a 90-minute SNL sketch gone wrong? Drop your playdate disasters below—and suggest my next dumb-fun action comedy! Like, follow, share so the mercenaries don’t find you. Thanks for the chaos—see you at the park!