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The Family Plan
Movie

The Family Plan

2023 • Action, Comedy

Woke Score
2.2
out of 10

Plot

A former top assassin living incognito as a suburban dad must take his unsuspecting family on the run when his past catches up to him.

Overall Series Review

The Family Plan is a simple action-comedy centered on the protection of the nuclear family. Mark Wahlberg plays the lead, Dan Morgan, a retired government assassin who traded a life of violence and immoral missions for a quiet, conventional suburban existence, which is consistently framed as the ideal. The central conflict is the man's past threatening the family unit he built, culminating in a cross-country bonding trip. The film is fundamentally pro-family and pro-tradition, with a minor subplot actively mocking a teenage character's 'social-activist' boyfriend. The wife is portrayed as a capable woman with combat skills, but her role as a devoted wife and mother to three children, including an unexpected infant, is the celebrated context of her life. It's a formulaic yet ideologically clean film, dedicated to affirming a classic American family dynamic.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The film does not rely on race or immutable characteristics for its plot; characters are judged by their actions and relationship to the family unit. The main characters are a traditional white, suburban family. A subplot features the teenage daughter being initially swayed by a dishonest 'social-activist' college boyfriend whose 'Anti-American, anti-conservative Marxist platitudes' are actively mocked by the narrative. The meritocratic theme of a man leaving a corrupt past to build an honest life prevails.

Oikophobia1/10

The central premise is the former assassin trading his past life of 'immoral' missions for the 'American dream' in the suburbs, which is portrayed as the ultimate good worth protecting. The institutions of family and home are respected and viewed as a shield against the chaos of the outside world, embodying gratitude for the stability of a domestic life.

Feminism4/10

The wife, Jessica, is a 'gifted former decathlon' athlete who 'gave up those dreams to be a mom' but finds contentment and bliss in her family life with her husband and children, including a baby whose existence celebrates their bond. She is later revealed to teach combat techniques and is a capable partner in the action, but her character is defined by her complementary role as wife and mother rather than a 'Girl Boss' trope. The celebration of motherhood and the traditional family structure keeps the score low.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative focuses exclusively on the traditional male-female pairing and the nuclear family unit (husband, wife, three children). No presence of centering alternative sexualities, deconstructing the family, or advocating gender ideology is found in the storyline.

Anti-Theism4/10

The film features a 'light moral, pro-family worldview' and its villains are a former mercenary outfit, not religious characters or institutions. The absence of direct anti-theist messaging suggests a low score. However, a high volume of profanity and obscenities in the dialogue introduces moral relativism and a lack of respect for 'Objective Truth' or higher moral law by the standards of a spiritual vacuum, necessitating a slightly higher score for language and general lack of transcendence.