RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 3 sourcesHe-Man be damned, Mattel is going to give boys another attempt at feeling seen on screen with Matchbox The Movie . Another bite at Barbie ‘s plastic apple, Matchbox adapts the plotless, loreless world of diecast cars into a John Cena vehicle where he says things like, “I can’t do what I do and drag the Matchbox gang around with me.” But at least it’s leading with humor.
The film follows Cena, a CIA agent, who reconnects with his old friends, with whom he spent hours playing Matchbox cars as a child. Cut to several decades later, and Cena drugs his buddies and ensnares them in a globe-trotting adventure, allowing them to live out their childhood fantasies of using a tow truck as a ramp. Backing Cena up in the Matchbox Gang are Jessica Biel, Arturo Castro, Sam Richardson, and Teyonah Parris. Leading with the wit that made Barbie such a success, the trailer elevates the supporting cast, particularly Castro and Richardson, giving this toyetic action movie its fuel.
And just to clear up any confusion as to what the plot of Matchbox is, here’s the official synopsis from Apple:
“Inspired by the iconic Mattel toys, Matchbox The Movie is an action-packed, globetrotting adventure about a group of friends since childhood who have their lives upended when undercover CIA agent Sean (John Cena), their long-absent former leader, returns to their small town and unwittingly gets them embroiled in a frantic international pursuit to save the world.”
Directed by Extraction maestro Sam Hargrave and written by Orphan: First Kill scribe David Coggsehall, Matchbox streams on Apple TV on October 9.
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