|
Grudge Match
| Released |
24 January 2014 |
| Director |
Peter Segal |
Starring
|
Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Kevin Harte, Alan Arkin, Kim Basinger, Jon Bernthal, Camden Gray |
| Writer(s) |
Tim Kelleher, Rodney Rothman |
Producer(s)
|
Bill Gerber, Mark Steven Johnson, Michael Ewing, Peter Segal, Ravi Mehta |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
113 minutes |
| Genre |
Comedy, sport |
| Rating |
12A |
|
|
Lightweight.
Everything about Grudge Match is ridiculous; the awkwardly photoshopped poster, a concept that could be boiled down to the phrase “Rocky and Raging Bull get their bus passes” and of course the fact that Sylvester Stallone increasingly looks like an Action Man who has just been rescued from a bonfire. I think it’s fair to say that nobody has high expectations for this comedy drama from director Peter Segal (50 First Dates, Anger Management). In fact quite a lot of anger has been spewed in its direction, with some commentators seeing it as an insult to the movie heritage of both actors. While personally I think this attitude is unnecessarily po-faced, I wasn’t all that optimistic. And yet...I kind of enjoyed it.
Henry ‘Razor’ Sharp (Stallone) and Billy ‘The Kid’ McDonnen (Robert De Niro) were bitter rivals in the boxing ring in the early years of their career. After facing each other in the ring twice, they were to have a final deciding match to break their tie until, unexpectedly, Razor pulled out and went into early retirement. Thirty years later, the warring pair are approached by a promoter (Kevin Hart) who wants them to get back in the ring to settle things once and for all.
As expected, the film has a lot of problems. Considering the fact that this is supposed to be a comedy/drama, the dramatic scenes feel clunky at best, while the cliche-ridden plot loses steam and starts to meander as the fighters prepare for the big match. Some of the performances leave a lot to be desired; Kevin Hart is his usual shrill self, which, of course, is a matter of taste. Kim Basinger though, is jut plain awful as the prissy and limp love interest.
Still, I have to admit that I did laugh quite a few times and generally enjoyed myself while watching Grudge Match. Despite the silliness of the concept, both De Niro and Stallone seem to be taking it all quite seriously and actually have good comic chemistry. Alan Arkin trots out his foul-mouthed, crotchety schtick as Razor’s ex-trainer and although we’ve seen it all before, it still raises a chuckle. Grudge Match is definitely not the worst thing I’ve ever seen, which may sound like damning with faint praise but all things considered, is actually quite remarkable.
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Linda O’Brien |
