Directed by: Adam Shankman
Starring: Vin Diesel, Brittany Snow, Max Thieriot, Brad Garrett, Lauren Graham, Faith Ford, Carol Kane, Chris Potter, Morgan York
The Pacifier successfully kids Vin Diesel's macho action star image and turns the movie into more fun than expected. We know the story arc and we know it is predictable. Navy SEAL Shane Wolfe (Diesel) is assigned to protect the family of a recently deceased computer programmer who created something wanted by nefarious people. He is a fish out of water, naturally, and the kids don't take kindly to his attempts to run the house like basic training. Then, the chasm between Shane and the kids closes, they learn to love and respect each other, and then team up to battle the bad guys. Nothing new here, but The Pacifier has a pleasant appeal to it.
I may be in the minority, but I have always been a fan of Diesel's work. While the action films surely don't do wonders for his range, he possesses intelligence and a steady screen presence. I liked him in films like Boiler Room, Saving Private Ryan, and Find Me Guilty, which gives Diesel dimensions not shown in the Fast and the Furious or XXX movies. In The Pacifier, which may be Diesel's only comedy to date, he shows us his likability too. Shane is a man who is only at home when he is leading missions to rescue people or blow things up. He is not as adept at handling rebellious kids while their mother (Ford) is off to Switzerland trying to gain access to her late husband's secret bank account. The family does seem to get over his death rather quickly, but then again the movie isn't interested in delving into grief.
Subplots such as Seth (Theriot) being bullied at school for wanting to be an actor is dealt with, the eldest daughter Zoe's (Snow) upcoming driving exam, a school production of The Sound of Music which seems to have the budget of the movie, and Shane's burgeoning relationship with the school's principal (Graham), a former military woman herself. are all presented and resolved within the film's 90-minute running time. Let's not forget the Neanderthal gym teacher (Garrett), who assists in Seth's bullying and gets a satisfactory comeuppance when he challenges Shane to a wrestling match.
The Pacifier has enough to satisfy everyone. The mixture of action and sentimentality may seem ungainly at first, but the movie is paced well and the atmosphere never becomes too heavy. In the end, Shane connects with the family and the villains are taken down handily. There is also a pet duck which bites people on cue. How many movies can boast about a family having a pet duck?
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