2 Disappointing-Match-Ups out of 4
Raging Bull and Rocky are two of American cinema’s greatest films. Rising above mere sports drama, the two films transcended cinematic history by acting as unbridled social commentary, assessing the structure of masculinity and commenting on the role of family in American society. These were two great movies created by people who had a strong idea of what they wanted to accomplish.
Martin Scorsese’s 1980 Raging Bull was created as a directorial last resort – after failing at impressing critics and audiences with the flop New York, New York, Scorsese was supported by Robert De Niro to direct a biopic about self-destructive Italian American boxer Jake LaMotta. As LaMotta, De Niro delivered the performance of a lifetime, accomplishing a kind of pain, suffering, delusion, destruction, and redemption in 129 minutes that most actors spend their entire careers never achieving. Scorsese proved that everyday America was ready for the kind of highly stylized films that were only immensely popular in New York Art-houses and European theatres. More importantly, Raging Bull proved that the success achieved by Scorsese’s earlier work was entirely merited and that the young director from Queens was more than ready for the big leagues.
Contrary to popular belief, Rocky was never directed by Sylvester Stallone. The script, written by Stallone, was picked up by United Artists who were originally hoping to cast the role of Rocky to anyone other than Stallone. Under major financial restrictions, with a meager budget of barely over $1 million that forced filming to be condensed to a paltry 28 days, Rocky went on to make film history. The rags to riches story about an uneducated, plucky, wannabe boxer from Philadelphia getting a chance to live the American Dream resonated with audiences. On its budget of barely over a million dollars, Rocky earned $225 million, in addition to ten Academy Award nominations and three wins in the categories of Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing.
I bring up history because the Peter Segal-directed Grudge Match tries to be the fateful showdown between Rocky Balboa and Jake LaMotta, but fails miserably in almost every convention. Starring De Niro and Stallone (playing diluted versions LaMotta and Balboa) joined by an ensemble cast of Alan Arkin, Kim Bassinger, Jon Bernthal (Shane from The Walking Dead), and Kevin Hart, the film is about Pittsburgh boxers Henry “Razor” Sharp (Stallone) and Billy “The Kid” McDonnen (De Niro).
30 years ago, Razor and Kid had both lost and won a single match against the other. Before getting to the fateful tie-breaking bout, Razor retired, never allowing either boxer to achieve closure. Years later, Razor is employed at a shipyard while Kid has blatantly sold out and cashed in on every modicum of success he had won.
The character of Razor is that of a slightly more educated Balboa. The character of The Kid is slightly tamer than LaMotta. In an attempt to appeal to an audience looking for a by-the-numbers comedy, the screenplay by Tim Kelleher and Rodney Rothman drains all sense of emotional subtlety, replacing it with disappointing jokes that barely land. These are two washed up boxers, the film reminds its audience; they’re old and they don’t fit in this new world with fancy technology like iPads and flat screen TV’s. Fighting is the only thing these two men can do, we’re informed – there’s nothing else they’re good at.
While Raging Bull offered an analysis of the masculine condition, Grudge Match is content with squandering De Niro’s time and talent. Whereas Rocky explained that Balboa had no other choice but to fight if he wanted a chance at a better life, Grudge Match insists on beating the audience over the head with the knowledge that Stallone’s character is fighting for his ageing trainer and friend (played by a grumpy Alan Arkin).
Worse still is the script’s delusional ignorance of build-up and pay-off. Razor’s reasons for retiring are explained within the film’s first 20 minutes. Uninspired direction and boring editing by Segal and William Kerr fail to add anything special to the film’s scene. Indeed, even the fight choreography is spectacularly average. One would think a boxing movie starring two of cinema’s most famous boxing actors would feature choreography worthy of their legacy.
Grudge Match is, overall, spectacularly average in every way. It’s not terribly boring, it’s not absurdly unfunny, and it’s not horrendous. It’s average and mediocre, and a disappointing match-up for its lead actors.