Grudge Match, 2013.
Directed by Peter Segal.
Starring Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Alan Arkin, Kim Basinger, Kevin Hart, Jon Bernthal, LL Cool J and Ireland Baldwin.
SYNOPSIS:
A pair of aging boxing rivals are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout — 30 years after their last match.
There are plenty of must see movies coming out this year. To pick one out as the must see movie of this year would be tough. Of course Grudge Match would surely rank up high on the must see list… surely… no? Okay, maybe not but for those who were fans of either Rocky or Raging Bull, or both, this will be viewed (somewhat out of pure curiosity) as a film that needs to be watched. In this age of sequels, remakes and gimmicky films, Grudge Match in many regards manages to tick all three boxes. It’s almost an unofficial sequel in the respective Balboa/La Motta universes. It’s also part Rocky Balboa remake. What’s most definite is that the movie has the feel of something a bit gimmicky. It’s more about its idea than its execution.
The plot sees two aging boxers with a long standing rivalry who are tempted out of retirement to finally have the deciding match that they never had in their prime. Stallone is basically playing Rocky again. He’s the nice guy, the everyman. Robert De Niro plays a watered down version of Jake La Motta. He’s got a drinking problem, he’s selfish, but of course this rather tame movie never delves into anything like the depth that Scorsese did in Raging Bull. There’s the odd complication along the way but the most thought that was put into this film was when some creatively jaded studio executive probably walked into a boardroom and pitched it. “Let’s do Rocky vs Raging Bull.” “Sure, get someone to type up a screenplay. We’ll give them a couple of days. That should be enough time.” That slightly lazy, and no doubt, rushed script does little more than cobble together references to better films, and just about every cliché they could think of.
Did we expect anything more? Probably not. This was always an idea that even the best directors would have struggled to do with any conviction, or that wouldn’t seem like a quick attempt at making an easy cash cow (not that the poor box office returns are any real surprise). Despite how lazy the film feels on almost all fronts, there’s certainly a sense of fun here. Sly and De Niro are having a good time. They’re not too bad here. They’re coasting, as is everyone else, but they play up to their respective roles well enough. Alan Arkin completely steals the movie without having to make much of an effort to do so. He’s typically reliable. Kim Basinger also seems quite happy to appear back on a mainstream big screen pic, and she still looks great too. Kevin Hart desperately shouts and mugs for laughs, not always succeeding. He’s essentially a poor man’s Chris Tucker, so make of that what you will.
For such a middle of the road script, you need a middle of the road director. Peter Segal ably steps up to the director’s chair to point the camera and shoot without adding much in the way of visual flair, or inspired performances. The boxing sequences are okay. Obviously the respective ages of Sly and De Niro mean the sequences were never going to reach the levels of the boxing films they did 30 years ago, but they’re shot as if Segal had been reading a text book on how to shoot boxing sequences.
It’s overlong, and it’s not very good, but it’s still a fairly enjoyable watch. No emotional investment is required by the viewer – it’s an easy, undemanding watch with not a single surprise. The film does outstay its welcome at just shy of two (often mawkish) hours, but there’s enough laughs in there (just about) to keep things from getting boring. This is very much home entertainment viewing and probably not worth a trip to the big screen unless you’re a big fan of Stallone and / or De Niro.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Tom Jolliffe
Originally published January 24, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
