Release Year: 2005 Rating: PG Duration: 95 minutes Other Title: Gnome Director: Adam Shankman Producer: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Jonathan Glickman Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Vin Diesel stars as Navy SEAL Shane Wolfe who, as an elite member of the world's fiercest and most highly trained force thought he was prepared to take on any duty no matter how perilous or impossible... until he tried baby-sitting. Assigned to protect the five out-of-control children of an assassinated scientist working on vital government secrets, Shane is suddenly faced with juggling two outrageously incompatible jobs: fighting the bad guys while keeping house. Replacing his usual arsenal of wetsuits and weapons with diapers and juice boxes, Shane not only must battle a deceptive enemy but wrangle teen rebel Zoe (Brittany Snow), sullen 14-year-old Seth (Max Theriot), 8-year-old Ninja-wanna-be Lulu (Morgan York), as well as 3 year-old Peter and baby Tyler - not to mention their off-beat Romanian Nanny (Carol Kane).
Why did they think Vin Diesel, a guy with the emotive power of a rock, could do comedy? Sure, there are action hero roles like XXX, where being a buffed rock works well, but THE PACIFIER completely wastes Diesel's limited but undeniable talents. Although he might have hoped THE PACIFIER could do for him what KINDERGARTEN COP did for Arnold Schwarzenegger, THE PACIFIER's script is so lame and stupid even the Governator couldn't have made it work. And Diesel is certainly no Schwarzenegger.