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OK, perhaps after “The Chronicles of Riddick” (which, by the way, I liked despite its flaws. So sue me.) Vin Diesel deserved to be taken down a notch by critics but not for this film. “The Pacifier” plays to the lowest common denominator with its humor. It’s not a bad movie just formulaic and predictable. The idea might have worked better if the writing and direction had been sharper. As it is “The Pacifier” plays as an inoffensive “family” comedy and another example of a fish out of water tale. ***

Shane Wolfe (Vin Diesel) must protect the family of a scientist (Tate Donovan) that was killed under his protection. It seems the good Dr. has devised a top secret invention that would allow any country to control another country’s nuclear missiles via satellite. It seems the information may be hidden somewhere in the family home. When the family’s mother (Faith Ford in a thankless role) must travel to Switzerland to retrieve something from a safety deposit box that might help the US government find the device, Shane is suddenly thrust into the role of protector and nanny for the kids. He must figure out a way to communicate with the kids, protect them and help them through various crises that occur while their mom is away. ---

Brad Garrett is pretty funny in the featurette on him. We get lots of behind-the-scenes footage and a very humorous interview with the actor. The featurette on Diesel features producers Jonathan Glickman, Roger Birnbaum and director Shankman discuss how Diesel got involved in the project. While there’s no interviews of Diesel per se, we do get lots of behind-the-scenes bits that are pretty funny. Lauren Graham also appears to discuss her co-starring gig with Diesel and how he got alng with the kids. ---