Grudge Match Review
By David Kempler
Rocky Comedy Picture Show
I am one of the few people I know who was not a fan of Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" franchise. Yeah, the first one was good, but the adoration it garnered blew me away. Since then Stallone has continued to play the tough guy, almost exclusively.
In the other corner is Robert De Niro. He played Jake La Motta in "Raging Bull", for my money the best boxing film of all time, not to mention being great for any genre. De Niro's career is littered with other great performances and films. One thing De Niro figured out long ago is that it is okay to do comedy and even to mock his own screen persona. In "Grudge Match", Stallone joins De Niro in playing it tongue-in-cheek, and the results are a smile-fest, and perhaps one of the most unexpected feel-good movies of any holiday season.
The story is simple: two great boxers who retired thirty years earlier are talked out of retirement to finally settle who the real champion is. Billy 'The Kid' McDonnen (De Niro) won their first fight. Henry 'Razor' Sharp (Stallone) took the second fight. Everything was in place for a rubber match between them, but inexplicably, Sharp refused to fight a third time.
Flash forward thirty years and Sharp is at home when there is a knock at the door. It is Dante Slate Jr. (Kevin Hart), the son of Sharp's former promoter. Dante has a business offer for Sharp. His suggestion is that Sharp and McDonnen get together to pose for CGI footage to be used in a video game. Sharp wants no part of it but he needs the cash for Lightning (Alan Arkin), his old buddy and former trainer, who now resides in an assisted living facility. McDonnen loves the idea of seeing his old nemesis. He still burns with anger that they never had the third bout.
At the video shoot, McDonnen rides Sharp mercilessly until the two end up in a brawl that destroys the set. One of the guys working there captures it all on his phone and the resulting video goes viral until it builds into an actual bout that the public wants to see. The rest of "Grudge Match" concerns the buildup to the fight and finally the fight, itself.
This is not a great cinematic experience but I found myself smiling almost from the opening bell, and I didn't stop until the lights came on and I exited the theater. Actually, I was still smiling, even then. De Niro is his usual fine self, but Arkin steals the show. He has the best one-liners and zingers and delivers them at a level you expect from him. Hart also does a nice job with the quick quips. The side story, involving Sally (Kim Basinger) is merely a plot prop but how does she still look so amazing?
"Grudge Match" has no right being as entertaining as it is. It's not exactly a knockout, but it is a tremendous amount of fun and whether you are a fan of boxing or not is irrelevant here. It is not even required that you know all of the history of the performers, although it is an undeniable plus. Just smile and enjoy yourself with this unlikely end-of-year treat.
