Check out John Cena in the Embarrassing First Trailer for Playing with Fire

Movies News Playing With Fire
Check out John Cena in the Embarrassing First Trailer for Playing with Fire

Unleashed out of a time vortex we can only assume connects straight to the mid-2000s comes today’s release of the first trailer for Playing with Fire, starring 16-time WWE world champion John Cena. Ah, and Keegan-Michael Key. And John Leguizamo. And a 22-year-old Brianna Hildebrand from Deadpool, playing a character who seems like she’s supposed to be 14.

Lord, it’s been a while since we’ve seen a trailer like this one, for what looks like a completely outmoded style of family comedy reminiscent of films like Vin Diesel’s The Pacifier. Cena, Key and Leguizamo are playing members of an “elite” helicopter firefighting team, who end up with a trio of kids—although once again, Hildebrand is almost 23—that they now need to take care of, but get this … they don’t know how! Because they’re men and stuff. Looks like they’ll need to brush up on their VHS copies of Three Men and a Baby or Mr. Mom, right? If you thought the fact that it was 2019 would somehow prevent a diaper-changing poop joke in a trailer like this, you can cheerfully consider yourself incorrect, and enjoy the bonus of Cena making over-the-top gagging noises about having to do an activity that a billion parents do every day.

Playing with Fire also looks to be keeping alive the less-than-pristine streak of film appearances from comedian Keegan-Michael Key, whose post Key and Peele career has derived from his former partner’s in ways that have become ever more noticeable. Between the likes of The Predator and this, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate the projects you want to be appearing in? Was the draw of getting to work with John Cena really that irresistible?

Enjoy the full trailer for Playing with Fire below, including its truly gratuitous use of Social Distortion’s “Ring of Fire” cover. The film is due out Nov. 8, 2019.

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