While the movies have brought us many great sports films over the decades, boxing seems to hold a special place in film history, and has brought us some of the true classics of cinema history. And even as boxing has become less popular among the general American public, Hollywood’s love affair with pugilism has kept going strong. The twenty-first century has already brought us such acclaimed boxing films as Ali (2001), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Cinderella Man (2005), Rocky Balboa (2006), and The Fighter (2010). Now, director Peter Segal has entered this particular sub-genre with Grudge Match, a boxing comedy starring Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone. While it certainly won’t be counted among the great boxing films or the great sports comedies, it’s a fun little movie that’s worth a look if you’re interested.
The biggest thing Grudge Match has going for it is its cast. Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone have both starred in classic boxing films – Raging Bull (1980) and Rocky (1976) and its sequels, respectively – and previously worked together in Cop Land (1997). While this won’t go down among the great performances of their careers, they get some solid material to work with, and their natural star charisma is definitely on display here. The person who ends up stealing the show is Alan Arkin as Louis “Lightning” Conlon, Razor’s elderly former trainer. Arkin gets some incredibly funny lines and moments, and he is clearly having a ball. Kim Basinger plays Sally Rose, Razor’s former girlfriend whose brief fling with Kid was one of the causes of the feud between the two men. Basinger does good work with the somewhat underwritten character, and I have to say she still looks damn good for being sixty years old. Jon Bernthal, best known as Shane Walsh on The Walking Dead and currently starring in Mob City, plays B.J. Rose, the illegitimate son of Kid and Sally. The story of Kid trying to form a relationship with the son he knew about but never knew is one of the hearts of the story, and De Niro and Bernthal do a good job with it, and they definitely look similar enough that it’s easy to believe them as father and son. Child actor Camden Gray plays B.J.’s son Trey, and manages to pull off being endearing rather than annoying. LL Cool J, Joey Diaz, and Anthony Anderson show up briefly in supporting roles, and all do pretty solid work.
Of course, a comedy is going to live or die by its humor, and overall, Grudge Match is pretty funny. While the idea of two retirement-age men boxing each other is inherently funny, the film does not solely rely on that to generate its laughs. There’s physical slapstick, situational gags, and funny exchanges of dialogue. The movie does have some fun making little nods back to Rocky and Raging Bull, such as a moment in a meat locker where Razor goes to punch a hanging side of beef before being stopped by Lighting, but these aren’t overplayed, and don’t depend on being references to a previous movie to be funny.
Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone in “Grudge Match.” Photo by Ben Rothstein.
© 2013 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. – All Rights Reserved.
I have to say, the actual boxing action in the film is pretty cool. Even though this is a comedy, it doesn’t shy away from the fact that this sport can be pretty brutal. Blood will be spilled, bones could be broken, and these two tough old guys step into the ring knowing full well that one blow which lands too hard could permanently injure them. All of this is very well-shot by director Peter Segal and cinematographer Dean Semler. Between this and his previous film Get Smart (2008), I think Segal has a pretty solid grasp of action-comedy, and I’d like to see him do more in this genre. And for anyone who’s wondering, yes, the titular bout does have a definitive ending.
While Grudge Match is an entertaining film for the most part, it does have a number of flaws which drag down the experience. The story does have more heart than I expected, but it also proceeds forward in pretty much the exact way I predicted, without anything in the way of twists or surprises. Like I said, a lot of the humor in the movie is good, but there’s a fair number of jokes which fall flat. Anyone who’s seen Kevin Hart’s stand-up knows that he’s an incredibly talented comedian, but he’s forced to work with a lot of lame material here. While Hart’s character Dante Slate, Jr. has some very funny moments, especially when he gets to play off Arkin, there are too many moments where he’s mostly screaming or freaking out, which just comes off as grating. And while I know that product endorsement is a huge part of sports in the modern world, the amount of it in the movie does come across as pretty obnoxious.
Ultimately, Grudge Match is a bit of a mixed bag, but definitely one that’s leaning toward the good. On the one hand, it has a great cast, mostly funny humor, and cool boxing action. But on the other hand, the storyline doesn’t offer up any surprises and some of the jokes fall flat. But if you’re looking for a solid sports comedy at the theater right now, consider giving Grudge Match a try.
Timothy Monforton