The things we watch play a vital role in determining the things we think about. After seeing this movie, I took a good look at my mom and questioned myself; "What if my mom was a retired spy? Or a retired assassin?". She definitely doesn't look like an assassin but again, that is how undercover assassins look–the opposite of what they truly are.
My imagination kept wandering. What if fellow assassins were sent to take down my mom because she probably knew too much information about their organisation? Where would I run to? What skills do I possess that would come in handy while defending myself?
All of these remind me of the time I desperately wanted to become a detective. I'm certain I would have gone for it if it was part of the courses offered in universities. I went as far as applying to be a member of a karate class but I couldn't even survive the class. This is a story for another day:)
About The Movie
The family plan is the movie that made me reminisce so much on my past. The movie starred some amazing casts and from the poster, I knew it was going to be a good watch.
The past catches up with Dan–a former elite government assassin– when enemies track him down and are bent on ending him. For this reason, Dan packs his wife and three kids into their minivan and hits the road on an impromptu trip to Las Vegas. His aim is to go as far away as possible but along the line, there is a little derailment.
The movie is an action adventure drama film directed by Simon Cellan Jones. It is a one hour fifty minute movie that takes viewers on a thrilling and captivating journey. Released on the 15th of December, 2023, the family plan is a fairly recent movie that isn't about the holidays; just in case you need a break from the numerous Christmas movies being released.
Cast.
Mark Wahlberg as Dan
Dan is the ex assassin with a conscience. It has been well established that many assassins are devoid of the humane parts of themselves but Dan was different. Dan wanted out and so he managed to stay hidden for eighteen years.
One cannot hide forever. Dan's cover was blown and soon enough he was tied between getting his family to safety and telling them the truth about himself. He managed both roles to the best of his ability.
Movies with Mark Wahlberg are most of the times good movies and this wasn't any different. I like how well and gracefully he acted out his role as Dan the meek father.
Michelle Monaghan as Jess
Jess happened to be Dan's lovely wife. She was a physiotherapist 'adventurer' who gave up her dreams to be a mother and a wife. Along the line, she felt a little trapped and wanted to soar. When Dan came up with the idea of an impromptu trip, she basically hopped on the offer.
Jess is undoubtedly a character worthy of emulation in the real world as she remains content with the things life gave her while still working to get the things that life didn't offer freely to her. She was also a very loyal partner and loving mother.
Zoe Colletti as Nina
Nina was Dan's daughter and the perfect epitome of a teenager who was fighting for their freedom or so. Nina started off her role as a recalcitrant daughter who wanted to go against her parents will. Luckily, she had understanding parents who put up with all of her misconducts while still guiding her on the right path.
Van Crosby as Kyle Morgan
While making this review I saw that the character Kyle's real name was indeed Van. This was really amusing because he made a joke about how a person's name would be Van during one of the scenes in the movie. How hilarious. I can't imagine the amount of composure he had to muster to crack that joke.
Kyle played the role of Dan's first son who had two different personalities. There was a shy Kyle who had no friends and there was a popular gamer version of Kyle who had millions of friends.
Source
My Opinion
This was a really interesting movie to see. I like the controversial discoveries, the little secrets and big secrets too. The way the movie began, one would have thought they were watching a regular movie with a depressed man who decides to be a good father. No clues whatsoever were given and this made watching this movie fun.
However, I ended up asking so many questions along the line. Questions that apply to real life. Take Dan for instance, he was married for eighteen long years with two grown up kids and a ten month old baby and he never thought it right to tell his wife that he was an ex assassin? This questions the meaning behind trust and love. But again, some things are best left as secrets. Right?
Along the line, I discovered what a beautiful place Las Vegas is. I would totally love to visit it someday as the clips and landmarks I saw in the movie from Las Vegas were just breathtakingly gorgeous. Yet another place added to my bucket list:)
Also, I like how well the characters performed. As you would expect, a movie with an ex assassin who is trying to lay low would obviously involve deceit and I particularly liked how well the few characters involved in this deceit acted out their roles. Take Maggie Q for instance (you may know her from the movie Nikita), she particularly performed the deception role perfectly.
Recommendation.
One of the numerous things I took out from this movie was the Kyusho Jitsu; you can find out more about this technique as it may come in handy someday.
I would gladly recommend this movie to anyone as there is a thing or two to pick out from the movie. Also, it is indeed an amazing watch.
All images used are screenshots from the movie except stated otherwise
Love,Wongi🌼
