Grudge Match

There are films that are actually made to be parodies of people or situations and then there is "Grudge Match". I'm not sure if this film was created to be a parody, but the way it is written and presented, it certainly comes across that way. And if this is the premise, it really makes this funnier as the comedy it was hoped to be.

Pittsburgh boxers Billy 'The Kid' McDonnen (Robert De Niro) and Henry 'Razor' Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) shares a fierce rivalry back in the 1980s. Each had scored a victory in two matches, but on the eve of their decisive third bout, Henry suddenly announced his retirement, effectively ending both boxers' careers. Thirty years later, boxing promoter Dante Slate Jr. (Kevin Hart) coaxes and makes Billy and Henry an offer they can't refuse: return to the ring and settle the score once and for all.
Only thing is, Henry doesn't want to do it, but Billy is more than eager, so through advise from others, Henry's ex-trainer/friend, Louis 'Lightning' Conlon (Alan Arkin), Sally (Kim Basinger), and the son that Billy never knew existed, BJ (Jon Bernthal), this grudge match is destined to happen.

Others to round out the cast are Camden Gray as Trey, BJ's son, Jim Lampley as Himself, Rich Little as Boxing Announcer, Barry Primus as Joey the Bartender, Anthony Anderson as Mr. Sandpaper Hands, Don Lake as Video Game Producer, LL Cool J as Frankie Brite, and Oscar Gale as Shipyard Co-worker.

This was directed with just the right amount of comedic moments coupled with the dramatic moments which add to that real situational feel, but considering Peter Segal has quite the resume which would lead to the ability to pull this off, it's no surprise. Just look at what he's done: "Naked Gun 33-1/3: The Final Insult" '94, "Tommy Boy" '95, "My Fellow Americans" '96, "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" 2000, "Anger Management" '03, "50 First Dates" '04, "The Longest Yard" '05, "Get Smart" '08, "Prodigy Bully (TV movie) '12--get it? It was written with much more cohesiveness than I gave it credit for by Tim Kelleher and Rodney Rothman which actually amazed me. If comedies by and large were written better these days, I wouldn't nearly be as skeptical, and although this wasn't the best script written, it still had a good deal of elements which made this work: funny, a message, reconciliation, and real emotion. This is truly missing in most comedies today.

What's really fun about this is the ability that both Stallone and De Niro have in being able to parody themselves in this, and I believe that, alone, makes this that much more fun.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                           Rated: PG-13                          113mins.