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DVD Release Date: Tuesday, March 8, 2011
In 2004, the current Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, Triple H, made his film debut in “Blade: Trinity,” a small villain role that he neither shined nor stunk up the joint with. Seven years later, WWE Studios decided it was finally time to give the three H’s a starring role.
This time around, Triple H is cast as the good guy, an ex-con named Ray Bradstone, who is just released from a seven-year prison stint as the film opens. Ray desperately wants to make things right with his ex-wife Lynne (Annabeth Gish) and his teenage daughter Sally (Ariel Winter). But his old cohorts Phillip Larue (Kevin Corrigan) and Goldy (Kevin Rankin) want him to rejoin the gang. Ray reluctantly agrees, but then bails at the last minute, leaving his Larue and Goldy in a lurch. Larue and Goldy assume that Ray has also stolen their loot, and they seek him out.
Ray leaves the scene of the crime to chaperone Sally’s field trip, much to her horror. The organizing teacher Ms. Miller (Yeardley Smith) is thrilled to have a chaperon that can control the kids just by raising his voice, and since she doesn’t know he’s an ex-con, she thinks it’s admirable that Ray wants to spend time with his daughter. Thus, the plot kicks off with Ray simultaneously trying to avoid his former friends while keeping his daughter and the other kids safe and unaware that they’re even in any danger.
Triple H is okay in the lead, but with as little acting experience as he has he would probably be better suited in a supporting role. Winter and the rest of the kids are fine, and the supporting cast does what they can do with the mediocre material (Corrigan has a general oddness about him that I find strangely compelling). Director Stephen Herek (the man behind the camera for “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “The Mighty Ducks,” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” among others) is a pro, but the script by first-timer (and so far, last-timer) S.J. Roth is riddled with clichés and flat jokes.
“The Chaperone” is an okay “background noise” or “found it while channel surfing” type of movie, but it doesn’t offer much more than that.
