--- title: "The Pacifier" year: 2005 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-pacifier" fi1m_id: "the-pacifier" imdb_id: "tt0395699" tmdb_id: 10022 wikidata_id: "Q1192363" fi1m_score: 36 critics_score: 34 critics_reviews: 12 published: "2026-10-05T04:07:51.489743+00:00" updated: "2026-10-05T04:07:59.052386+00:00" region: "TR" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Pacifier (2005) Directed by Adam Shankman · 1h 35m · Comedy, Family, Action ## Identity The Pacifier - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-pacifier - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-pacifier - **IMDb ID:** tt0395699 - **TMDB ID:** 10022 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1192363 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395699/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/10022, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1192363 **Fi1m score: 36** · Critics 34 from 12 reviews *In a sentence:* Vin Diesel takes nappy duty more seriously than anyone took the jokes > Vin Diesel gamely submits to a family comedy that keeps mistaking nappies for punchlines. Adam Shankman’s film has a little warmth, but predictable writing and sluggish comic timing make 95 minutes feel overgenerous. ## Synopsis Shane Wolfe (Vin Diesel) is the central character in this family action comedy, directed by Adam Shankman and written by Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. The cast includes Julie Plummer (Faith Ford), Zoe (Brittany Snow) and Seth (Max Thieriot), alongside Claire Fletcher (Lauren Graham) and Vice Principal Murney (Brad Garrett). Lulu is played by Morgan York, Peter by Keegan Hoover and Logan Hoover, and Baby Tyler by Bo Vink. The comedy draws on Diesel’s tough-guy bearing, with domestic mishaps, nappy jokes and bodily-function humour aimed at a family audience. ## Review Adam Shankman’s *The Pacifier* is a poor family comedy with a willing star and too few jokes. Its plan is straightforward: take Vin Diesel’s imposing presence and make it funny by putting it to domestic use. There is something agreeable about a performer allowing his toughness to become a source of embarrassment, and Diesel does not appear to consider the work beneath him. But Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon’s screenplay keeps returning to bodily functions, as though casting the leading man had completed the writing. Diesel plays Shane Wolfe with a seriousness that occasionally helps. He does not strain to announce that he is being funny, which leaves some room for affection, and his sheer bulk is a serviceable comic starting point. The trouble is that the performance seldom develops beyond that starting point. His restraint becomes stiffness when the joke needs a little variation, and the film gives him too few alternatives. We were bored by the repeated nappy jokes, because each return offers the same small indignity without a better surprise. Bodily-function humour can be funny; there is no need to pretend that family entertainment ought to be well behaved. Here, though, recognising what is about to happen occupies more time than laughing at it. At 95 minutes, the film is not unusually long, but its thin supply of ideas makes it feel so. Christopher Greenbury’s editing is too patient with material this slight, giving predictable business time it has not earned. A brisker cut would not invent better jokes, but it might stop us waiting quite so long for the obvious ones. John Debney’s music has a similarly unrewarding task, trying to keep a comedy buoyant when its dialogue and physical gags keep letting it down. The result feels laboured even when the demands on our attention are small. Peter James’s cinematography and Linda DeScenna’s production design are serviceable, but neither finds much extra comedy in the mismatch between the leading man and domestic life. The visual humour depends heavily on Diesel looking too formidable for the indignities involved. That works briefly, then becomes another thing to repeat. A family comedy need not be elaborate to look interesting, but it does need to offer the eye something beyond confirmation of the premise. Brad Garrett, as Vice Principal Murney, supplies some welcome comic energy, suggesting how much a more varied performance can help. Shankman is right to allow broadness; there is nothing inherently wrong with a family comedy pitched this plainly. Yet the direction too often seems satisfied once the situation has been established. The quieter appeal is Diesel’s willingness to soften his image, which gives an otherwise mechanical exercise a little warmth. The family action comedy has a modest but perfectly respectable job: keep the physical business moving and let the unlikely arrangement produce a few good laughs. This one spends too much time assuming that its arrangement is already funny enough. Children deserve invention as much as the adults sitting beside them, even when the joke involves a nappy. A fondness for Diesel is the strongest reason to spend an evening with it. *Fi1m score 36, published 5 October 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics find The Pacifier a formulaic family comedy with too few laughs and little to entertain adults. The limited praise centres on Vin Diesel’s willingness to play against his tough-guy image: some reviews find him game and likeable, even when the jokes fail him. Variety, otherwise sharply dismissive of the film, singles out Brad Garrett as its one effective comic presence. The main disagreement concerns whether Diesel helps the comedy or holds it back. Total Film credits his efforts, while Empire finds him short of comic skill and faults the script’s pacing and forced Sound of Music references. Elsewhere, predictable plotting and repeated bodily-function jokes dominate the complaints, with assessments ranging from mild disappointment to outright dismissal. The apparent spread needs a caveat: two of the higher-scored entries have no accessible verdict, so they provide no verifiable counterargument to the largely negative consensus. ## Straight answers **Is The Pacifier worth watching?** *The Pacifier* is a poor family comedy we score 36/100, with little to recommend it beyond a fondness for Vin Diesel. He brings some warmth to domestic mishaps, but repeated nappy jokes and sluggish comic timing make its 95 minutes feel overgenerous. **How long is The Pacifier, and what is it rated?** *The Pacifier* runs 1h 35m. It is a comedy and family film. **Where can I watch The Pacifier in Türkiye?** *The Pacifier* is streaming on Disney+ in Türkiye. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does The Pacifier compare to Kindergarten Cop?** *The Pacifier* gets less comedy from its tough-man-among-children premise than [*Kindergarten Cop*](https://film.one/film/kindergarten-cop), which we recommend as the more amiable diversion. Diesel’s willingness to look foolish offers some warmth, but Schwarzenegger’s exchanges with the children provide more laughs, despite the earlier film’s slack middle and unconvincing romance. **What should I watch after The Pacifier?** After *The Pacifier*, try [*Kindergarten Cop*](https://film.one/film/kindergarten-cop) (1990, Fi1m 65): Another tough man among children, with more comic mileage from the mismatch. Then [*The Kid*](https://film.one/film/the-kid) (1921, Fi1m 84): An adult and a child find comedy in the daily work of survival; and [*Hunt for the Wilderpeople*](https://film.one/film/hunt-for-the-wilderpeople) (2016, Fi1m 82): An unwilling guardian and a difficult child get considerably more room to surprise us. ### Reviews we read (12) - **Screen Daily**, John Hazelton (64/100, inferred): The available page identifies this as a review, but its critical verdict is not visible. No specific element of praise or complaint can be established from the accessible text. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/the-pacifier/4022272.article) - **The New York Times**, A. O. Scott (64/100, inferred): The page content is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the available text. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/04/movies/a-specialops-warrior-on-a-heartthawing-mission.html) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (2/4): Ebert finds it an uninspired, formulaic family comedy rather than an effective vehicle for Vin Diesel. He particularly faults its predictable jokes and familiar plot. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-pacifier-2005) - **Radio Times**, Sloan Freer (2/5): Freer describes the comedy as uneven. The review notes its cheeky send-up of Vin Diesel’s tough-guy persona. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-rghacl/the-pacifier/) - **Total Film**, Total Film (2/5): The critic finds the film formulaic and infrequently funny, despite its appeal to younger viewers. Diesel earns praise for gamely playing against his tough-guy image, but the film lacks belly laughs. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-pacifier-review/) - **Time Out**, LIZ (30/100, inferred): The critic dismisses the film as a familiar, conventional comedy. The available description singles out Vin Diesel’s monosyllabic performance and bulky physique. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-pacifier) - **Empire**, Anna Smith (25/100, inferred): Smith finds the comedy unsuccessful, saying Diesel lacks comic skill and the script is poorly paced. She singles out the forced Sound of Music references and the film’s weak emotional and comedic effect for criticism. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/pacifier-review/) - **Slant Magazine**, Nick Schager (1/4): Schager dismisses the film as derivative, insipid, and too dumb to be family-friendly. He particularly faults its reliance on repeated dirty-diaper jokes and crude kiddie humor. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-pacifier/) - **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (15/100, inferred): McCarthy pans the film as a juvenile, contrived comedy and doubts Diesel’s attempt to reinvent himself. He singles out Brad Garrett as its one genuinely comic contribution. [Read](https://variety.com/2005/film/reviews/the-pacifier-1200527495/) - **The AV Club**, Nathan Rabin (10/100, inferred): Rabin gives the film a sharply negative verdict, calling it a lifeless retread. He singles out Vin Diesel’s stiff performance and the relentless bodily-function jokes as major shortcomings. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-pacifier-1798200507) - **The Guardian**, Philip French (10/100, inferred): French finds the film almost entirely unfunny. He singles out its jokey title as the only funny thing. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0,,1494818,00.html) - **Eye for Film**, David Stanners (35/100, inferred): Stanners finds the film formulaic and largely witless, with too little humor to entertain adults. He gives Diesel credit for becoming a likeable teddy bear, though the pace only improves after the first hour. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-pacifier-film-review-by-david-stanners) ## Details - **Director:** Adam Shankman - **Director:** Adam Shankman - **Screenplay:** Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon - **Cinematography:** Peter James - **Editor:** Christopher Greenbury - **Music:** John Debney - **Production design:** Linda DeScenna - **Costume design:** Christopher Hargadon, Kirston Leigh Mann - **Producer:** Jonathan Glickman, Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum - **Cast:** Vin Diesel as Shane Wolfe; Lauren Graham as Claire Fletcher; Faith Ford as Julie Plummer; Brittany Snow as Zoe; Max Thieriot as Seth; Chris Potter as Bill Fawcett; Carol Kane as Helga; Brad Garrett as Vice Principal Murney - **Runtime:** 1h 35m - **First release (the US):** 4 March 2005 - **Genres:** Comedy, Family, Action - **Budget:** $56 million - **Box office:** $199 million ## Where to watch in Türkiye - Disney+: streaming, hd *Checked 2026-10-05.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Kindergarten Cop* (1990), Fi1m 65: Another tough man among children, with more comic mileage from the mismatch. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/kindergarten-cop.md) - *The Kid* (1921), Fi1m 84: An adult and a child find comedy in the daily work of survival. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-kid.md) - *Hunt for the Wilderpeople* (2016), Fi1m 82: An unwilling guardian and a difficult child get considerably more room to surprise us. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/hunt-for-the-wilderpeople.md) - *The Way of the Househusband* (2021): An intimidating man applies alarming seriousness to the modest demands of domestic life. - *Paddington* (2014), Fi1m 84: Domestic disruption, precise physical comedy and a family worth spending time with. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paddington.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-pacifier