Make no mistake; this is a family of four, minivan in the theatre parking lot kind of film. Although Vin Diesel may be known for his more 20-something action adventure films (a la "XXX" and "Fast and the Furious"), "The Pacifier" is clearly 3 to preteen-something material. That said, mom and dad will have a good time too.

Hokey, the film aims to entertain the young, not to impress the old with gritty real drama. I screened the film with two friends of retirement age. Their comments: "I enjoyed that. I'd see that again." and "My kids would love that, not my grandkids -- MY kids."

A good pace drives the film, there's always something happening, even if it's silly, or just plain dumb (lawn sprinklers catch our hero by surprise). That kind of cheep schtik made me wince once or twice, but the majority of the humor was either average or occasionally above. And as I said, the pace smoothes over the rough spots.

In addition to the gags, the film offers several endearing moments. Diesel may not be the greatest actor, but he has great screen presence, great charisma, a wonderful mix of strength and vulnerability that makes him a guy you just naturally trust to lead.

Diesel says, "I was immediately attracted to this story because I thought it would be a whole lot of fun, not to mention very liberating, for me to explore comedy and a character who undergoes a real transformation. ...I have to say after doing the movie that it was probably the most enjoyable film experience I've ever had."

Btw, Vin voiced an excellent animated family film six years back: "Iron Giant."