Meh
Summary
The Smashing Machine has a few okay fights and features both Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt in roles we haven’t seen them in before, but the total lack of story is bewildering.
Plot: UFC fighter Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson) overcomes relationship troubles and drug addiction to fight in a Japanese Pride tournament.
Review: I don’t know Mark Kerr from Adam, but I’ve heard nothing but hype about this movie. Dwayne Johnson can act! Surefire Academy Award nomination! Well, I had to see this, so I trekked to the movie theatre to see the artist formerly known as The Rock give the performance of a lifetime.
So, does the movie deliver? Let’s break it down. The film is shot in a documentary style, which is very interesting and, I think, elevates it above most other movies on the subject matter. The fights seem to be well-choreographed, albeit short. The soundtrack was alright. This is probably the best looking I have ever seen Emily Blunt in a film; forget being a blonde, she should definitely stick to being a brunette.
Yeah, yeah, that’s all good, but what about the acting? Okay, so I feel that people who are going overboard in praising Johnson for his performance don’t know professional wrestling. It’s not that big a stretch from his previous profession. Yes, he cries, and yells and swears, but really, is it that big a shock? It’s almost like they were saying the man couldn’t act – professional wrestling is acting while doing your own stunt work. So, it was fine, but I don’t know why people are shocked. Blunt was also pretty good in her role; I think the big thing is that we haven’t seen either actor in this type of role, so people are stunned. Fair. But let’s not start handing out awards yet, because the characters are kind of meh.
Yeah, you heard me. Meh. Johnson and Blunt’s characters fight almost the entire movie. At one point, Johnson’s character tells Blunt’s character that she is selfish and it’s all about her (I agree). Blunt’s character retorts that Johnson’s character is controlling and annoying (also agree). As good a job as you may believe Johnson and Blunt did in their acting roles (and I’m not disputing that), it’s nullified by neither of their characters being likable. At all. The only character who was decent was Ryan Bader’s Mark Coleman, and was the only character I was rooting for in the movie. The problem? He wasn’t the star and wasn’t the guy we were supposed to root for.
The fatal flaw with this movie is the story…what story? There is no story in this movie. Does it tell Mark Kerr’s story, how I became a UFC fighter, how he was a pioneer in the sport? Nope. Instead, we get lots of Oscar-bait drama. Domestic fights? Yup. Drug addiction? Uh-huh. A dramatic threat of suicide? You betcha. By the time we get to the film’s third act and Kerr’s comeback for the Japanese Pride tournament, you don’t care anymore. This movie just meanders from one dramatic scene to the next with no context on why we should give a shit.
Ultimately, if this gives Dwayne Johnson his flowers, then that’s cool; I have no problem with the man. He has entertained me for years, both in movies and the WWE. If this movie gives Emily Blunt her flowers, I also have no problem, as she’s obviously a talented actress. Make no mistake, though – this is not a very good movie. Despite the filmmaker’s attempts to make this movie stand out in its genre, just plastering a bunch of clichéd dramatic scenes with no cohesion doesn’t mean you made a good movie. It means you’ve made a mess.