Movie Review: ‘The Family Plan’

Assassins on screen. Every time they try to retire or devote themselves to a quieter life, their past always catches up with them. Just as Keanu Reeves’ John Wick. Or Liam Neeson’s Bryan Mills, whose ‘Taken’ character ends up having to put his particular set of skills back into play when his daughter is kidnapped.

It stands to reason that cinematic assassins should just stick with their regular jobs, but still they keep yearning for something more –– or perhaps less (at least from a stress/danger point of view). Such is the case with Dan Morgan (Mark Wahlberg) in Apple’s new action comedy ‘The Family Plan’, who has swapped international assassination (of, he’s quick to point out when the truth is revealed, Very Bad People) for a seemingly sleepy world of marriage and kids in Buffalo New York.

But with so many examples of this story already out there, the biggest question is whether ‘The Family Plan’ does enough to stand out.

Is ‘The Family Plan’ a good pick for your family?

(L to R) Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, Zoe Colletti and Van Crosby in ‘The Family Plan,’ premiering December 15, 2023 on Apple TV+.

For the most part, the answer to that question is… Not really. This is a fairly bland example of the genre with one or two moments of invention that happen later in the story.

After a few early years of interesting material, Wahlberg has largely settled into a predictable mix of action movies and comedies –– you might find yourself wondering what his occasional collaborator Peter Berg would have done with this, but then it’s not really the sort of movie that Berg would gravitate towards since the rougher edges have been well and truly sanded off here.

Related Article: 10 Things We Learned at ‘The Family Plan’ Cast & Crew Press Conference

‘The Family Plan’: Script and Direction

Mark Wahlberg in ‘The Family Plan,’ premiering December 15, 2023 on Apple TV+.

Writer David Coggeshall is more normally known for the horror likes of ‘Orphan: First Kill’ and 2019’s ‘Prey’ (not the ‘Predator’ prequel, a slightly less effective tale of a young man hunted by a creature on an island retreat), but he does his best with mixing the action and comedy beats here.

The screenplay for ‘The Family Plan’ mostly goes through the motions of introducing Dan’s seemingly happy family life, bringing up the issues with his kids (one wants to throw away her long-held Stanford dreams to follow a boyfriend to a far lesser college), the other has secretly been playing video games at a high level with the gamer tag “Kyllboi”.

When Dan’s old life starts to invade his own, the clues are a little easy to spot (a character who approaches Jessica early on might as well have “villain” stamped across their forehead), but it at least has a few fun set pieces early on.

(L to R) Michelle Monaghan and Mark Wahlberg in ‘The Family Plan,’ premiering December 15, 2023 on Apple TV+.

As for the visual side of things, director Simon Cellan Jones has largely worked in television comedy/drama, though he has branched out into the more action-orientated likes of ‘See’, ‘The Expanse’ and ‘Jessica Jones’.

His big screen work has largely been in the rom-com and comedy-drama sphere, and he does what he can to turn the set pieces into watchable encounters. A fight in a grocery store is an early highlight, and the big finale has its moments. For the most part, though, this isn’t going to worry the likes of ‘Wick’ or the likes of David Leitch for inventiveness.

‘The Family Plan’: Performances

(L to R) Michelle Monaghan and Mark Wahlberg in ‘The Family Plan,’ premiering December 15, 2023 on Apple TV+.

Wahlberg is on strictly standard mode here, Dan Morgan a blandly likeable leading man who you can mostly buy as a skilled assassin even as he’s whipping through a diaper change like he’s loading a gun. But if you’re truly supposed to care about him and his story, there’s not a lot here to grab hold on to.

Michelle Monaghan, meanwhile, is saddled with another slightly thankless role as the other half to an action man who doesn’t realize what’s really going on until the danger intrudes on her life (she’s been down this path before, most notably in ‘Mission: Impossible III’). Jessica at least has some depth to her, and there’s a moment near the end where she gets to be both comedic and badass.

Zoe Colletti and Van Crosby as their kids are largely called upon to be bratty and then helpful, and they do what they can to breathe life into the roles. Less well served is Ciarán Hinds as the antagonist, though even he has something of a backstory. Pretty much everyone else is reduced to stock henchmen characters, some not even blessed with actual names. They’re literally cannon fodder.

‘The Family Plan’: Final Thoughts

(L to R) Mark Wahlberg and Iliana Norris in ‘The Family Plan,’ premiering December 15, 2023 on Apple TV+.

Despite all the faint praise in the preceding review, ‘The Family Plan’ is not entirely without merit, as it has some chuckles to offer and a brace of stunt moments that do bring something entertaining.

It’s strictly straight-down-the-line work, but there’s nothing wrong with that if you’re in the mood for it.

‘The Family Plan’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.

What is the Plot of ‘The Family Plan’?

Dan Morgan (Mark Wahlberg) is a seemingly normal family man, but was once the deadliest assassin in the world. When his past finally catches up with him, Dan takes his family on a “road trip” to Las Vegas so he can confront the man who wants him dead—all while trying to keep his old life a secret from his wife and children.

Who is in the cast of ‘The Family Plan’?

Mark Wahlberg in ‘The Family Plan,’ premiering December 15, 2023 on Apple TV+.

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