What a Fun Way to Spend Christmas. Movie Review: Grudge Match

Movie Review: Grudge Match (to be released nationwide December 25, 2013)

Production Company: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Alan Arkin, Kevin Hart, Kim Basinger, Jon Bernthal, Camden Gray

Director: Peter Segal

Genre: Comedy, Sports

Running Time: 113 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sports action violence, sexual content, and language

My Rating: ★★★★★

Me posing for my fight at Grudge Match

Thanks to Klout and Warner Bros., I received two free tickets to see Grudge Match. I even got to pose for a picture wearing boxing gloves and a robe in the theater. How fun was that! Anyway, the film stars two legendary actors—Robert DeNiro as Billy “The Kid” McDonnen, and Sylvester Stallone as Henry “Razor” Sharp—as two aging boxers who are coaxed out of retirement for one final bout. I wasn’t so sure about seeing another movie starring Stallone as a boxer but I truly love DeNiro, and was interested to see Kim Basinger, who hasn’t had a lot of screen time lately. And hey, it was free! While I thought this was going to be akin to Rocky vs. Raging Bull, I was dead wrong. It’s not even close, which is a good thing.

The Cast

Entering the final bout–(L-R) Razor (Stallone), Lightening (Arkin), Dante (Hart), The Kid (DeNiro), and B.J. (Bernthal)

Grudge Match is one of the funniest, feel good movies I’ve seen in a while. I laughed almost from the very beginning of the movie to the very end, ranging from chuckles to good, old-fashioned belly laughs. I’m not sure who is funnier, DeNiro, Alan Arkin who plays Razor’s trainer Louis ‘Lightning’ Conlon, Kevin Hart who plays boxing promoter Dante Slate Jr, or Camden Gray who plays Trey, Jon Bernthal’s son. If I had to pick one actor as the scene stealer, though, it would have to be Arkin. I loved his deadpan delivery; he cracked me up almost every time he was on screen. Speaking of Bernthal, he does double duty as B.J., the son The Kid never met and as The Kid’s trainer. The lovely Kim Basinger plays Sally Rose, B.J.’s mother and Razor’s ex-girlfriend. Bernthal does an admirable job of stretching his acting chops in Grudge Match; after all, he’s best known for his role as Shane in the drama-laden zombie apocalypse TV series The Walking Dead. Nice job, Jon!

The Background

Razor and Sally reconnecting.

The story appears to be a rather simple one. Razor and The Kid were great boxers in their heyday. Each beat the other once but before a third match, called a grudge match, could be scheduled, Razor dropped out of the game. No one ever knew why. The Kid has been chomping at the bit ever since to prove he is/was the better boxer. Enter Sally, who made the fatal mistake of sleeping with The Kid and then disappearing from the scene. What had been a friendly rivalry back in the day is now a hate/hate relationship between the two pugilists.

Dante has fallen on hard times and wants to prove he’s as good a boxing promoter as his dad was when he was alive. So when a video company wants to make a video boxing game and approaches him about it, Dante proposes it to the two fighters. The Kid, who has made a success out of his life as the owner of a popular bar and several car dealerships, boozing and womanizing to the max, is thrilled with this opportunity. He can’t wait to get back in the ring with his old nemesis. Razor, not so much, as he can’t stand to be in the same room with The Kid for even a minute, but then he remembers all his unpaid bills, and suddenly, the $75,000 payday for doing this looks pretty good. Someone films the fight that breaks out at the video company, which soon goes viral, and before they know it, “grudgement day” is upon them, and it carries a multi-million dollar purse.

The Funniest Scenes

There are so many funny scenes, it’s hard to pick the best of the best. The scene at the video company where the boxers’ moves are supposed to be filmed separately (so Razor doesn’t kill The Kid) falls into this category. Just the picture of Stallone and DeNiro dressed in green tights is enough to make you laugh but when you add in their poker faces, it turns into comedy gold.

Almost every scene with Trey is humorous. Gray is a young actor who is going to make a name for himself if he continues in this vein. He currently has only four listings on IMDb, one of which is Grudge Match. I don’t know how Gray is able to keep a straight face during some of Trey’s dialogue but he does. The scene with The Kid trying to explain to Trey how B.J. got his name is hilarious!

With the carcasses hanging in the background, this could be a scene out of Rocky.

Also included in this category are the training scenes for each boxer. Both men are equally out of shape and watching them go through their paces as they get ready for the final match is a hoot! There are some nods to Raging Bull and the Rocky franchise, and that in itself is amusing.

The Obvious

The Kid and Razor face off one last time.

We have to talk about the elephant in the room—how DeNiro and Stallone are able to step into the ring at their advanced ages without being embarrassed about their bodies. Stallone looks a bit more preserved than DeNiro, who appears to be a bit out of shape, so that’s not saying much. I’m sure both men did the requisite amount of training beforehand, and surprisingly, Stallone is as effective as DeNiro is in their respective roles. I must commend both the makeup people and director Segal because the blood in the final bout truly makes it look like both actors are severely beaten and in tremendous pain. Segal also deserves kudos for the pacing during the entire movie but especially so during the final fight.

Overall

While Grudge Match is billed as a sports comedy, it is more a story about redemption. Both men made serious mistakes when they were young and now they’re trying to atone for them. From Razor reconnecting with Sally, to The Kid and B.J. forming the father/son relationship they never had, and The Kid finally accepting his new status as “Grandpa” to Trey, this is a heartwarming story that never takes itself too seriously. Segal keeps everything light and the CGI effects are mostly decent.

With Grudge Match being released on Christmas Day, I’d say it’s a perfect movie to see with your family on the holiday—as long as your children are in their teens. With the language and some graphic scenes, I wouldn’t recommend it for young children. If you want to check out the official trailer for the movie, here’s a sneak peek for you.

Go see Grudge Match—I promise, you’ll walk away feeling good and with a smile on your face. What’s a better way to feel on Christmas than that?

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!