John Cena and Jessica Biel star in Matchbox: The Movie, an action comedy out Friday on Apple TV
The toy-car action comedy, directed by Sam Hargrave, follows childhood friends pulled into a mission to recover a nuclear warhead. Reviews are split, with The Guardian calling it soulless and The New York Times finding it surprisingly funny in places.
A toy-car action comedy arrives on Apple TV
Matchbox: The Movie, directed by Sam Hargrave, is set for release on Friday, 9 October on Apple TV. The action comedy follows a group of childhood friends whose reunion turns into a mission to recover a nuclear warhead. John Cena plays Sean Walker, de facto leader of a group of kids who grew up in the late 1990s playing with a toy car collection curated by small-town mechanic Smalley (Bill Camp), according to Variety's review. The cast also includes Jessica Biel, Arturo Castro, Sam Richardson and Teyonah Parris. The New York Times lists the running time as 2 hours 6 minutes and the rating as PG-13 for violence and salty language.
Nostalgia and the brand
The Matchbox line traces back to English engineer Jack Odell, who designed the first model to comply with a 1952 British school rule requiring toys to fit inside a matchbox, according to France 24. Variety describes the Mattel brand as 73 years old. At a roundtable with journalists, Cena recounted spending much of his childhood playing with the cars and described one of the most significant car purchases of his life, "a fake Lamborghini." He told reporters that viewers with Matchbox memories would notice the Easter eggs in the film.
If you have childhood memories like me of Matchbox, I think you're going to appreciate all the Easter eggs in there. And if you don't know anything about Matchbox or the Mattel franchise, you're going to sit down and really enjoy this movie.
Stunts and filmmaking
The action scenes proved difficult for both leads. Cena said training focused on learning to move in new ways and on fight scenes with greater fluidity, along with the courage to gain "to jump off a building." Biel said driving pushed her out of her comfort zone, since she had never learned to spin a car 180 degrees and stop it on a mark. She called the freeway driving the coolest stuff she got to do. Biel credited Hargrave, who is known for stunt work and coordination on Marvel Cinematic Universe films, for the film's practical approach.
He was such a big draw to this movie because of his experience and his expertise in the stunt world, and how he likes to do things practically.
Red Cross pledge drive
The five co-stars teamed up with Mattel on a pledge drive for the American Red Cross, a PSA that coincides with the 9 October release. In the video message, the cast encourages fans to support Red Cross efforts to provide shelter, food, essential supplies and other critical support to people affected by disasters. Variety reported the campaign as a collaboration between Mattel Philanthropy and the American Red Cross. Nancy Molenda, vice president of global corporate events and philanthropy at Mattel, tied the campaign to the company's Play It Forward giving platform.
We're incredibly grateful to Mattel and the Matchbox team for helping the American Red Cross be there for people when disaster strikes. By celebrating the everyday heroes who step up when others need them most, this partnership reminds us that everyone has the power to make a difference.
Critical reception
Reviews are divided. The Guardian called the film a soulless and synthetic slab of corporate product and tied it to the Paramount-Warner merger. Variety said it throws up some good action setpieces but does not imbue the brand with much meaning. IndieWire described it as bland and frictionless. The New York Times found it surprisingly funny and said that at its best it briefly leans into its own absurdity, but that it cannot commit to a new track.
