With his imposing size and gruff delivery, it makes sense that Alan Ritchson has become so synonymous with the character of Reacher. It’s also why it’s such an inherent joy to see him considerably let loose in Playdate, a simple action-comedy that reminds us that the actor is quite a gifted, goofy comedian.
He’s the reason so much of Luke Greenfield‘s increasingly-wild feature works as much as it does, with the usually farcically inclined Kevin James playing the straight man to the nonsense that unfolds on screen, where his nice guy, out-of-work accountant, Brian, unwillingly finds himself tethered to Ritchson’s larger-than-life Jeff, a stay-at-home dad; “His dad was big and his mother was an American bison,” is how Brian describes Jeff’s preposterous stature.
The reason they start hanging out all happens quite chaotically for poor Brian, as his recent unemployment means he has more time to bond with his sweet stepson, Lucas (Benjamin Pajak); his wife (Sarah Chalke) jumping at the opportunity to no longer be the stay-at-home parent. Realising Lucas is less athletically inclined than he would like, Brian is admittedly quite taken at the physicality of the nearby father-son duo that is Jeff and his son, CJ (Banks Pierce), who are hurling a football back and forth in a manner that is near brutal in its force. He’s concerned but intrigued, and before he can politely decline Jeff’s uncomfortable enthusiasm, Brian has unwillingly made a “best friend.”
CJ is near robotic in his movements, and Jeff is terrible at keeping any of his stories straight or believable (when he claims that he’s a widow, he’s a little casual about the passing of his wife – “She was going to die anyway,” is his response), so we’re unsurprised – as is Brian – when it comes out that the two are on the run from the law. Just who they are on the run from remains elusive for a great deal of Playdate‘s crisp 93 minutes, and though the eventual reveal is quite bombastically ridiculous – I dare say no one will say this is easily telegraphed – James and, particularly, Ritchson are so committed to it that you ultimately just surrender to the nonsense, lest it frustrate you with its outlandishness.
Because it’s a film so far removed from reality, its bonkers finale will sit much easier if you remove any sense of logic from proceedings. Whilst I perhaps would have preferred something a little more grounded, the actions of CJ all throughout the film, as well as how unbridled Ritchson is, really speaks to a silliness that helps Playdate sit as an escapism piece for the family; sure, it gets a little violent towards the backend, but it’s nothing the targeted tween market haven’t seen a worser iteration of.
Playdate feels very much like a piece that revels in its 1990s mentality – a film that aims for an inflated concept, peppering enough distracting action and safe comedy along the way. This is hardly going to change anyone’s day, but I dare say that Ritchson opposing his monstrous frame with a schoolboy enthusiasm is worth the streaming minutes alone; may you never look at Reacher the same way again.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Playdate is streaming on Prime Video from November 12th, 2025.
