In the canon of great boxing movies, there are two which stand alone. One is Rocky, the seminal uplifting story of a Philadelphia boxer who beats the odds to become a champion. The other is Raging Bull, Martin Scorsese’s examination of Jake LaMotta, the boxing wunderkind whose hubris and public indiscretions ultimately became his undoing. The stars of each film – Sylvester Stallone and Robert DeNiro, respectively – face off for Grudge Match, the new boxing comedy from director Peter Segal. Does it live up to the promise of greatness? Sadly, it doesn’t even scratch the surface.
Grudge Match tells the story of Henry “Razor” Sharp (Stallone) and Billy “The Kid” McDonnen (DeNiro), two ageing former Pittsburgh boxers who harbour a deep resentment for each other. After years of not speaking, they are lured back to the ring by the obnoxious son of a former promoter (Kevin Hart) for a one-night-only bout to settle an old score.
Grudge Match is not a bad film as such, in fact, there were a couple of instances that almost provoke laughter. The central problem with the film is that it centralises all of the comedic material in the script around one theme: getting older. Okay, we get it. DeNiro and Stallone are not as spry in their old age, but there’s nothing revolutionary about the concept. Stories of feuding old men have been achieved in films with much more to offer (i.e. Grumpy Old Men). The sports angle of the film seems like a cheap Ron Shelton knockoff that doesn’t fulfil its purpose. It serves the story as an impetus to a much less interesting subplot that goes on for way too long.
Peter Segal and company do their best to dress up the absurdity of the story with some light drama, but it’s fleeting. We discover that the reason for their feud is the result of a former shared romance with a woman named Sally (Kim Basinger), who could be the voice of reason in the story. Instead, her character is nothing more than a thread that weaves together the issues of the film’s two protagonists. Truthfully, the role could have been played by a lesser-known actress, but in keeping with the marquee-rich gimmick of casting, Basinger is an obvious choice. There is also a subplot involving actor Jon Bernthal as B.J. (a name which allows for plenty of innuendo in the film) who is the long lost son of DeNiro’s McDonnen. With this, McDonnen changes into a man with something to lose rather than a pompous has-been, desperately clinging to the glory days of old. It’s possibly the only endearing aspect of the entire film, and it’s also points to the one thing that saves the film.
That thing, in fact, is the movie’s great supporting cast. Comedian Kevin Hart plays Dante Slate Jr., the son of a former boxing promoter who is the mastermind behind the eponymous match. Hart, who is currently one of the hottest comedians working today, fills in the empty spaces of the more lackluster moments of the story with his trademark flamboyance, and his scenes with the great Alan Arkin allow for a fun back-and-forth that resuscitate the movie’s overlong story. Arkin, channeling Burgess Meredith’s “Mickey” from Rocky, plays Lightning – Stallone’s trainer in the film. Naturally, in true Alan Arkin fashion, he steals almost every scene in which he appears. Comedy has always been the veteran actor’s strongest ability, and he appears to be having the time of his life. Bernthal has some great scenes opposite DeNiro as B.J., and his appeal on-screen is undeniable. He’s a remarkable actor, and Segal uses his talents well here.
The runtime of the film is almost two hours, which creeps by at a snail’s pace. It almost feels as if new scenes were injected into the script to build on the comedic element, and consequentially, the jokes become lazy and juvenile. The repetitive nature of the “old man” shtick is enough to make you want to bang your head against a wall. But really, the primary disappointment of the film is the phoned-in and downright lazy performances of DeNiro and Stallone, who look like they’re just there because they have to be. The final fight scene in the movie is so predictable and underwhelming, that you’ll probably be tempted to check out well before the credits begin to roll.
In the end, Grudge Match doesn’t add anything new to the genre. It benefits from a great supporting cast, but loses the audience with a heavy reliance on recycled jokes and lacklustre performances from its two stars. If you’re looking for a witty, adult boxing comedy, you may want to look elsewhere.
[Rating:2/5]
