Grudge Match, 2013
Directed by Peter Segal
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Kim Basinger, Jon Bernthal, Kevin Hart and Alan Arkin
SYNOPSIS:
A pair of aging boxing rivals are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout — 30 years after their last match.
Grudge Match is built on one simple premise – it’s Rocky vs. Raging Bull. If you paid to see that then that is what you will eventually get. If however you paid to get a decent drama about the troubles of boxing and what it can lead to in later life (which the film does attempt), you may be in for some disappointment.
The story focuses around two retired boxers Henry “Razor” Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) and Billy “The Kid” McDonnen who were tied at 1-1 before the rubber match could ever take place. However when promoter Dante Slate Jr. (Kevin Hart) convinces the pair to separately appear in a new video game where they will be playable characters, the two start their feud again which leads to the grudge match finally taking place.
First thing out of the box, Grudge Match takes a lot of elements from Stallone’s own Rocky Balboa in which Rocky is convinced to get back into the ring after seeing himself in a video game representation. Whether this was intentionally lazy or not is an unknown factor, but there are a couple of other nods to Rocky’s character and stories throughout the movie so there is a chance that this is an “homage” rather than just a straight rip off.
As you would expect, the real high-points of the movie are where Stallone and De Niro are training for their big match and how it goes from just being important to them to being important to the whole world. The writing is strong enough to make you as the audience care that the media initially sees this match as a joke and therefore want people to take it seriously. Stallone and De Niro are great in their respective roles with Stallone being the reluctant fighter who doesn’t want to step back into the ring for fear of embarrassment and De Niro is strong as the guy who wasn’t given the chance to prove that he could beat him. Neither guy really pulls out an Oscar worthy performance, but they both do the best with what they have.
It’s a shame really as, with better writing and stronger direction from Peter Segal (himself a simple director), this could have been a powerful drama with an impactful finish (you know, like Rocky). As it happens, Grudge Match is a very light-hearted affair with plenty of comedy moments sandwiched between the more heart-felt scenes between Stallone and Kim Basinger and De Niro connecting with his estranged son B.J (Jon Bernthal). These relationships could have had meaning, but instead just feel like filler as the more interesting training montages happen around them. Kevin Hart’s irritating performance doesn’t help matters and the uneven tone leaves you feeling a bit empty.
But the true highlight is the boxing match at the end of the movie. Like the films they are paying tribute to, Grudge Match’s closing battle forces you to feel every blow, get invested in the fight and care about the outcome. It’s not the best boxing match you’ll see in a movie, but it does have a good level of drama.
Grudge Match could have been a great movie. It’s shot with a gritty realism but the beats between the notes are too forced and the whole thing is an uneven mess. It’s fun to see Stallone and De Niro square off, but you have to get through a lot of guff to get to that point. Some fun cameos aside (including a hilarious one during the credits), Grudge Match is simply “okay”. A real shame.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
Originally published June 2, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
