The Chaperone (2011)
½ — The Chaperone (2011)
Released in 2011, The Chaperone was a product of WWE Studios, the in-house production arm Vince McMahon had established to transition his wrestlers into film careers (a project of wildly mixed results). Paul Levesque, better known to wrestling fans as Triple H, takes the lead here in one of his more prominent acting outings, working alongside Ariel Winter, then best known as Alex Dunphy in the sitcom Modern Family. Director Stephen Herek had been around the industry for some time, his earlier credits including Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and The Mighty Ducks, though his output by this period was largely confined to modest, television-adjacent family fare. The film was shot on location in New Orleans.
The Chaperone is as bad as you think it is. Sometimes I think they do it deliberately. Starring WWE’s Triple H (Paul Levesque) as a hardened ex-con hired to chaperone a wild high school prom night, and Ariel Winter (Modern Family) as the rebellious teen he’s supposed to protect, it squanders its already thin premise with laughable writing, zero chemistry, and action so poorly staged it feels like a direct-to-DVD relic from the mid2000s. The plot is a mob boss wants her dead and he’s the only guy crazy enough to keep her alive. Sounds like it could be a cheesy but fun ride, until you actually watch it. From start to finish, The Chaperone is tone-deaf, badly acted, and visually dull. Triple H has presence, sure, but zero leading-man charisma or range, he growls his way through every scene like he’s still in the ring. Ariel Winter tries, but she’s given nothing to work with beyond “angsty teen” clichés and it was clearly still too early in her career. Their “buddy” dynamic never forms; there’s no banter, no growth, no spark. Just awkward silence or clunky dialogue that sounds like it was written five minutes before filming. The action is worse: dimly lit, poorly choreographed brawls that look like bar fights shot on a budget of $20 and a flashlight. The stakes are nonexistent, the villains forgettable, and the whole thing drags to a lifeless conclusion that feels less like a climax and more like a mercy killing. This wasn’t made to be good. It was made to fill a streaming queue. One of the worst films I’ve ever seen.
Rating: ½ | Year: 2011 | Watched: 2025-10-28
Where to watch (UK)
Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
More family: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Wonder (2017) · Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anastasia (1997)
