Playdate: A Playdate With Pain

Amazon has been on a streak of truly awful comedies this year, and Playdate might be one of the worst. What’s wild is that I was actually into it for the first 20 minutes. The only real positive here is the young actor who plays Lucas—he’s genuinely talented and brings some much-needed wit.

But after those first 20 minutes, the movie just devolves. Every new twist makes the story dumber, and the comedy gets more embarrassing as it goes. Alan Ritchson is downright horrendous and has zero chemistry with Kevin James. There are even moments where one of the actors keeps looking straight into the camera, which is as awkward as it sounds.

Any attempt at emotional bonding is unintentionally hilarious, and the running gag of Lucas randomly breaking into dance—paired with the movie’s weird obsession with rap—is pure cringe. Playdate is a complete waste of time that briefly shows a hint of promise before collapsing into a dumb, forgettable mess. The only relief is that the suffering is over in 30 minutes, and at least the first 15 are somewhat tolerable.