The newest Family Movie Night film from Walmart and P&G, Game of Your Life, does an excellent job of engaging the general population of tweens, teens, adults. This movie is centered around gaming, a pastime enjoyed by people of all ages.
There are three concepts in this movie that makes it successful in speaking to today's youth. The first is that geeks are cool! In fact, there are several references made in the film that only a true geek would understand and appreciate fully. The second is the idea of an elite gaming academic program in college. What hardcore gamer has not dreamed of going to school for game design and then ultimately being paid to create the same games he or she loves to play? The third concept that many young people can relate to is the pressure of having to contribute financially to help their family in today's struggling economy.
Two important themes introduced in this film that will open opportunities for discussion with your children are plagiarism and what it really means to be on a team. It is a common misconception that the team members who perform better are more important than the others. This film shows this to be untrue, but rather every team member is important to the success of the whole team. Other themes are having to experience the loss of a parent and the inner struggle of deciding when it is acceptable to break the rules.
As an adult, I found this movie to be very entertaining. I never found myself to be bored or to be looking at the clock. I would recommend it for anyone from middle school age to adult.
You can catch the premiere of Game of Your Life on NBC this Friday (Dec. 2nd) at 8pm ET/7pm CT. Visit FamilyMovieNight.com and Family Movie Night on Facebook to learn more about this and past Family Movie Night films.
I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.
