Holly on Hollywood
“Playing with Fire”
by Holly McClure
PLAYING WITH FIRE is a kid-friendly family comedy, starring John Cena as the no-nonsense alpha male, “Supe” Carson, a second-generation superintendent of a squad of elite California firefighters known as “smoke jumpers”. When the team rescues three siblings from a fire, they provide safe sanctuary over a long weekend until their parents come and claim them. The kids, teenager Brynn (Brianna Hildebrand), tween Will (Christian Convery), and preschooler Zoey (Finley Rose Slater), are difficult to control for Supe and his crew, Mark (Keegan-Michael Key), Rodrigo (John Leguizamo), and Axe (Tyler Mane). To complicate matters, Supe is applying for a promotion and expects an important evaluation over the weekend from the retiring Commander. As the kids and adults get to know one another, Supe finds out he needs the siblings as much as they need him! Judy Greer co-stars as Jake’s love interest, Dr. Amy Hicks.
The PG rating is for moments of peril (fires, crashes, a near fall off a cliff), some bathroom humor (Zoey has a messy poopy accident), mild teasing between the kids and adults. The kids wreak havoc at the firehouse, playing with equipment and testing the patience of Supe and his loyal crew. The cast has great comedic chemistry with Leguizamo and Key delivering most of the jokes, and the giant mountain-of-a-man Mane delivering surprises. Kids will enjoy the fun life at the station, the big firehouse dog, and the crew’s silliness and childlike behavior. Parents, there is a serious theme of the kids tragically losing their parents, leaving the kids orphaned and visited by the child protection services. The story encourages adults to prioritize family and friends over professional ambition. PLAYING WITH FIRE has themes of empathy, teamwork, the impact of friendship, foster parents and adoptive parenting. It also pays tribute to the courage of emergency responders … But the best part is the happily ever-after, family ending!
~Holly On Hollywood~
Holly McClure is a multimedia personality with a career that spans over 20 years in the entertainment industry. Her background as a film critic, film and television producer, creative writer, filmographer, radio and television host, author, and pundit for family values, has established her media expertise and made her a recognized advocate for family-friendly entertainment. Holly was the first ‘family film critic’ syndicated in over 365 newspapers by The Orange County Register. Her “Holly on Hollywood” movie reviews have been featured on various media outlets and can now be seen on Uplift TV, Parables movie channel, and thelaundrymoms.com.
In 2002, Holly was asked by Mel Gibson to film the behind-the-scenes interviews for “The Passion of the Christ”. She produced a one hour special, “The Making of The Passion of the Christ”, that aired on TBN and ION. She has since produced numerous press features for various films (The Passion Of The Christ, Do You Believe, Dancer and the Dame, God’s Not Dead, The Frontier Boys, etc.) and is listed on IMDB .
Holly is a charter member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and serves on the advisory boards of The Dove Foundation and The Parents Television Council. She is a proud mother, grandmother and mentor, passionate about supporting and creating life-changing entertainment!
For more information visit Hollymcclure.com or IMDB.com
