Lunch with Josh and the APs

Recently I was invited to the set of Walmart and Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) 8th Family Movie Night as part of a Dad Blogger tour. It was a ton of fun, and now I’m back to tell you my Top 8 Reasons why you should watch the film when it’s released.

Bonus: Stay tuned for the end of this Jam where you’ll see a video of me in action interviewing some real, live, stars of the upcoming film (that’s right, I didn’t use CGI to just make it look like I was really interviewing them).

8. If the statistics give us any indication of your wants, then you want to watch this movie anyway.

According to research conducted by P&G and Walmart with the Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) Alliance for Family Entertainment, 94 percent of those surveyed said it’s extremely or very important that their families spend time together, and entertainment is a primary way their families get together. 81 percent said they enjoy watching movies with their families and 75 percent enjoy watching TV together.

Now, I am very particular about the types of movies I will watch with my kids. We rarely watch movies, and if we do, they have to meet our very stringent criteria. Which brings us to lucky number 7 on our list:

7. This movie gives parents what they want in a family film.

When P&G and Walmart talked to parents about the kinds of qualities they want to see in entertainment for their family, their research showed these to be the top five things most important to them:

Watching the cast in Action

• Portrays the consequences of the character’s choices/actions
• Portrays parents in a positive manner
• Includes characters with high moral values
• Teaches a lesson
• Does not contain profanity or swear words

And this movie delivers on all these important qualities.

6. Football, football, and more football.

So, enough with the statistics already, lets get down to the meat and potatoes of this film.

Let’s see… the main characters’ father (Frank Walker – played by the legendary Beau Bridges) is a football coach, one of his sons (Dean Walker – played by Josh Braaten) is a former football player turned football coach, and the other son (Jake Walker – played by “his looks make me jealous” Ryan McPartlin), plays an NFL football star. Needless to say, this movie is going to deliver a lot of fun football sequences. Warm up the pigskin and put some steak on the bar-b baby!

5. Its a great father-son flick.

The main story is about a son who leaves home to play football for the NFL, and doesn’t speak to his family for years during that time. When he gets a call with news of his father’s heart attack, he heads home and reunites with his family. While he is with his family, he faces some tough choices about whether to stay with his family, or head back to the NFL. I won’t tell you how it ends, but you can guess this film makes for a lot of great father son moments, and starting points for some good family discussions.

A Laugh with Beau

4. Beau Bridges.

See the man, the myth, the legend in action. I did, and I was impressed. Nuff said.

3. Cast and crew are AWESOME.

While on the movie set, I had the opportunity to sit and talk to several cast and crew members, including the Associate Producers, the Director (Doug Barr), and actors Ryan McPartlin, Beau Bridges, and Josh Braaten. We also talked to Bryant and Maggie – two of the children in the movie, who are real stars of the show.

All I can say is that they are all amazing, and all very passionate about bringing you the best family movie possible. You’ll see what Doug and the cast members have to say in the video at the end of this Jam.

2. They put a heck of a lot of work into making it.

All I can say is WOW. Before visiting this movie set, I really had no idea how much work went into making a movie. I mean, the house that they were filming in was completely redecorated to match the set designer’s wishes. And when they’re done filming, they’ll have to put the house back the way they found it, because, um, well, its somebody’s actual house.

The kids were real stars!

Not only that… the attention to detail is amazing. So much work goes into making sure everything stays consistent from scene to scene. Including the wardrobe, props, and set. That crew can handle my logistics any day.

And by the way, those actors had to eat a lot of chicken and potatoes to get through the takes of the dinner scene we watched them film that day. Kudos to them for that (I woulda done it too… you have to make some sacrifices for your art, after all).

1. This video right here.

Well, if I haven’t said enough, this video says it all. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this video is worth about 3 million. So sit back, relax, and enjoy “The Dad Jam on the set of the 8th Walmart and Proctor and Gamble Family Movie night.”

Ry and Me

Listen to what Beau and Ryan (yes, we’re on a first name basis now) have to say about fatherhood and their advice for new dads as well. Definitely words to live by! (Warning – you see me chewing gum – it gets pretty ugly. But on the bright side, the good looks of Beau Bridges and Ryan McPartlin provide more than sufficient compensation.)

Note: My trip to the set and expenses while I was there were paid for by P&G and Walmart Family Movie Night. The opinions expressed in this post are all mine.

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