It has been 40 years since the quintessential family road trip movie, National Lampoon’s Vacation, became an instant classic. There have been many other road trip films since then, but none have captured the humor of spending hours in the car with your son’s stinky feet in your face in quite the same way … until now. On November 1, 2023, Apple TV+ announced a new addition to the genre: The Family Plan.
Who’s in the cast and crew of The Family Plan?
This Apple Original Film, which arrives on Apple TV+ on December 15, was directed by Simon Cellan Jones and written by David Coggeshall. It stars Mark Wahlberg, who also produced the film, as Dan Morgan, and Michelle Monaghan plays his wife. Zoe Colletti and Van Crosby play their kids, and the cast is rounded out with performances by Saïd Taghmaoui, Maggie Q, and Ciarán Hinds.
What’s it about?
Wahlberg plays a seemingly laid back suburban dad with three children, one of whom is still in diapers. In the trailer, his wife laments to a friend, “Dan, my husband, is an amazing dad. I just wish our lives were … bigger.” Be careful what you wish for, mama, because you’re in for the ride of your life!
Unbeknownst to her, before they were married Dan worked as an elite government assassin. He has a “very special set of skills,” so to speak, and he uses them in unlikely places like the grocery store after enemies from his old life find him and seek revenge. After dispatching a would-be killer in aisle three with his toddler still strapped to his chest, Dan realizes his family is in danger, and it’s road trip time.
The whole crew piles into the minivan en route to Las Vegas, with Dan promising his surly teenagers they’ll have a blast. On the way, he takes care of more dangerous assassins, all while keeping up appearances for his family.
Is this film really family friendly?
This film is rated PG-13 due to some strong language, sexual situations, and of course, lots of fighting and action scenes. There’s also a family singalong of “Ice Ice Baby” that might scar kids for life, but we’ll leave that one up to parental discretion.
The Family Plan promises to be a true action-comedy, not to mention a rollicking good time. Comedy fans will enjoy seeing Wahlberg’s comedic chops, as we’ve seen previously in movies like Daddy’s Home and Instant Family. Likewise, action fans get a good dose of adrenaline-producing tough guy butt-kicking, so The Family Plan offers something for at least two kinds of movie lover.
As Clark W. Griswold declared in the original Vacation, “This is no longer a vacation, this is a quest. It’s a quest for fun.”
When and where can we watch it?
The Family Plan premieres globally on Apple TV+ on December 15, 2023, just in time for family holiday viewing. Maybe watch it on the plane while jetting off on a family trip of your own. Sure beats driving, or so we’ve heard.
(featured image: Apple TV+)
