Grudge Match

This review may contain spoilers.

I don't normally enjoy a film that steers so close to the sport genre but this was a good film as far as that genre goes. I would give Grudge Match a 6.5/10.

This movie definitely had a powerful comedic element to it's script and for that reason I really enjoyed this film. The music was also well thought out and really amped up the mood. There was also some wonderful fighting sport gags such as the UFC scene. The big fight scene and the training sequences were also great to watch and I don't think I've ever felt more like a spectator to a sport than I have watching this film.

I begrudgingly enjoyed this cast more than I disliked it so some of these good mentions are ones that barely make it. Sylevester Stallone, who played Henry 'Razor' Sharp, was great at playing this tired old man but what I really enjoyed was how comedic the man was, it's a side to Stallone I never thought I would see. I also enjoyed Robert De Niro, who played Billy 'The Kid' McDonnen, a kind of despicable character considering his character flaws but ultimately he redeems himself somewhat and the pain in him over never being able to prove himself in this final Grudge Match is a great character trait and well portrayed. I quite enjoyed the comedy Alan Arkin, who played Louis 'Lightning' Conlon, however he had some crass and quite offensive jokes. Jon Bernthal, who played B.J., was a great character and one of the best performances of the film as a struggling father, a son trying to reconnect with his Dad and a hesitant trainer.

However you come to Grudge Match for one actor and one actor only: Kevin Hart, who played Dante Slate Jr. This character drove the comedy of this film and revitalised a script that could start trailing off at crucial moments.

This film had absolutely poor pacing, it began to drag and it became boring at points. This film also had awful moments that became redeemable, such as a grandfather abandoning his grandkid to have sex or a man rekindling a relationship with someone who cheated on him so the morals of the film were questionable. The ending was also disappointing, the winner was in no way the person you'd want to win as far as who earned it goes.

Kim Basinger, who played Sally, was a damn awful character and by no means deserved the glorification her character got. This film was also let down by a terrible child actor in Camden Gray, who played Trey.