Grudge Match - Movie Review
Rating: 3 out of 5
It's a little annoying that this high-concept marketing project (Rocky vs Raging Bull!) is as entertaining as it is: we want to hate it, as tired actors are sending up their own faded images. But while the script never even tries to be something interesting, it at least gives the stars some engaging scenes to work with. And we can't help but cheer for them in the end.
The film stars with a bit of history (and digital trickery), as young bucks Henry "Razor" Sharp and Billy "The Kid" McDonnen (Stallone and De Niro) battle it out back in 1982. Local fans in Pittsburgh are divided between them and are hugely disappointed when, at the peak of their fame, Razor suddenly retires before a climactic rematch. Now some 30 years later, a young promoter (Hart) decides to finally get them back together in the ring. But this stirs up an old feud involving Kid's affair with Razor's wife Sally (Basinger), which resulted in a son BJ (Bernthal), who's now a father himself. Can these two men possibly work together to promote their epic grudge match?
Silly question. Of course they start off gruffly snarling at each other but eventually find the expected mutual respect. And that's about the extent of the acting required of these two iconic stars. Add some fast-talking comedy from Hart, veteran battiness from Arkin, steely femininity from Basinger and soulfulness from Bernthal and the film at least has a veneer of complexity. But aside from wondering whether the filmmakers will fudge the final match so no one loses (they don't), there isn't much to worry about.
Indeed, everything fits to the expected structure, so we know exactly what will happen next every step of the way. Within this, Stallone and De Niro deliver performances that are as interesting as they can be. At least they don't just rely on goofy slapstick. There's plenty of that in the wacky promotional stunts, but it's the underlying drama that holds our attention. There's also a continual stream of witty references to both Rocky and Raging Bull to keep us smiling with nostalgia, from the training montages to drinking raw eggs.
Facts and Figures
Year: 2013
Genre: Dramas
Run time: 113 mins
In Theaters: Wednesday 25th December 2013
Box Office USA: $29.8M
Budget: $40M
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production compaines: Warner Bros., Gerber Pictures
Reviews
Contactmusic.com: 3 / 5
Rotten Tomatoes: 29%
Fresh: 38 Rotten: 91
IMDB: 6.5 / 10
Cast & Crew
Director: Peter Segal
Producer: Michael Ewing, Bill Gerber, Mark Steven Johnson, Ravi D. Mehta, Peter Segal
Screenwriter: Tim Kelleher, Rodney Rothman
Starring: Robert De Niro as Billy 'The Kid' McDonnen, Sylvester Stallone as Henry 'Razor' Sharp, Alan Arkin as Lightning, Jon Bernthal as B.J., Kevin Hart as Dante Slate, Jr., Kim Basinger as Sally Rose, LL Cool J as Frankie Brite, Judd Lormand as Car Salesman, Nicole Andrews as Carla, Han Soto as Kenji, Griff Furst as ER Doctor, Don Lake as Video Game Producer, Camden Gray as Trey, Carrie Lazar as Nora, John L. Armijo as Bar Thug, Todd Truley as Dr. Camare
Also starring: Bill Gerber, Mark Steven Johnson, Peter Segal, Tim Kelleher