Have you ever had unfinished business, something that always made you wonder... what if? In December 2013, we watched as two men finally settled a thirty year old, what if.
Directing this 113 minute comedy/sport is Peter Segal.
Going a few rounds in this flick is: Sylvester Stallone as Henry "Razor" Sharp, Robert De Niro as Billy "The Kid" McDonnen, Kevin Hart as Dante Slate Jr., Alan Arkin as Louis "Lighting" Conlon, Jon Bernthal as B.J., Camden Gray as Trey, Kim Basinger as Sally and L.L. Cool J.
With appearances by Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones Jr., Mike Goldberg, Michael Buffer, Jim Lampley, Chael Sonnen and Larry Merchant.
Razor and The Kid have faced each other twice before in the ring, and each man walked away with a victory. That tie was something everyone wanted to see broken, to see who was the better fighter.
Unfortunately, that was something no one got to see, due to Razor's retirement from the sport of boxing. Thirty years later, both men have moved on in life and done other things. Yet, The Kid always wanted that shot, one more fight, one more chance with Razor. Razor takes a job offer to do some motion capture work on a boxing video game, when who should he run into? None other than The Kid himself. With a few exchanges of words the men are at each others throats, and soon become a YouTube phenomenon. This course of action leads to both men stepping back into the ring to finish what they started thirty years ago.
Even though the trailer made this flick look funny, I still had reservations about watching it. Come on, two out of shape boxers coming out of retirement to fight, really? I had a fear this was some serious Rocky like film with a few jokes. Surprisingly, I actually liked it. Turns out it's more than just some boxing movie. The storyline is good, and not just about coming out of retirement. It's also about redemption, about personal issues left unresolved and what if's left unanswered. The cast did a great job, and the chemistry between Stallone and De Niro made for a great, yet funny rivalry. Side note, it was cool seeing Basinger, it's been awhile since I'd seen her in a movie. Playthrough was very entertaining, and held my attention. I even found myself looking forward to the big show down to see how it was going to end. Definitely worth watching.
It's rated PG-13 for violence and language.
This grudge match 4 gets stars.
Labels: Alan Arkin, boxing, Camden Gray, comedy, Grudge Match, Jon Bernthal, Kevin Hart, Kim Basinger, L.L. Cool J, Movie Review, Peter Segal, Robert De Niro, sport, Sylvester Stallone
Have you ever had unfinished business, something that always made you wonder... what if? In December 2013, we watched as two men finally settled a thirty year old, what if.