La Máquina: The Smashing Machine

Expect a sad, bad edited, and strange movie. It is not about fighting, but about the relationship between Mark and his girlfriend, and between Mark and his addiction to opioids. There is absolutely no happy moment in this movie. No build up towards an epic moment. It was very flat. On the other hand, acting was great.

The praise Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has gotten for looking the part is warranted, but also a surface level compliment. Greatest accomplishment is a real range of emotions he gets to show in a story that doesn't get the whitewash treatment. 'The Smashing Machine' was a pet project he took on years ago and I was glad to see it turn into reality. It may not be deep, but having knowledge of the documentary it takes it's name from or early days of MMA goes a long way here.

Mark Kerr (Johnson) is a rising star in MMA circa 1997 with a good buddy and fellow fighter in Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader) by his side and loving gf Dawn (Emily Blunt). Unfortunately his addiction to pain meds in combination with suffering his first setback in the ring derails a promising start. Able to cast these demons aside, he trains with renewed purpose until Dawn launches her own brand of craziness. Will Kerr make good on his comeback or will it all end in sadness?

When I first heard 'Smashing' was coming out my #1 fear was they were going to do a magic act with Dawn. Saw the documentary years ago and it was solid. You knew part of Mark's problem was his own doing, but it was also clear Dawn wasn't a good influence. Luckily there's no attempt at sugarcoating things here. For her part Blunt does some solid acting which keeps the girlfriend role from feeling like a cliche.

As a fan of MMA seeing Bader portray Coleman was fun even if he doesn't physically resemble him and of course you get Bas Rutten playing himself in a vital role. Lots of love for the olden days of MMA via Pride or early UFC through soundbites. Fact the real Mark Kerr is shown is a nice touch too. Again I'll mention how great it is to see Johnson take on a role that gives him a chance to step outside his money / familiar zone where it's clear he's really committed to the project. He's the glue.

When the lights came up and I left the theater, I struggled to balance how I felt about 'The Smashing Machine'. Not because I didn't enjoy it, but because it has to overcome a predictable plot as I already knew Kerr's tale and it partakes in classic sports movie tropes. I even started to get antsy in my seat towards the end so it perhaps it could have been edited tighter. However I still believe there's enough here for MMA fans and Johnson turns in a killer performance. Only caveat is I don't think it's going to land quite the same way for casual audiences who might expect a different kind of film.

If you want to see an extremely sweaty Johnson, boy do I have a movie for you. In THE SMASHING MACHINE, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars as Mark Kerr, an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter before UFC became the UFC it is today. He was a pioneer of the sport, but between 1997-2000, Kerr had a lot going on. Struggles with his conflicting relationship with Dawn (Emily Blunt) and with his personal demons. This movie is...fine, but I do have a few problems with it. It successfully avoids the typical tropes you usually see in sports movies, but it doesn't replace that with anything of substance. The screenplay is flat, the characters feel like ideas of people instead of actual people (which they actually are). Don't get me wrong, the acting performances here are impressive. Blunt is always great, but Johnson actually puts in the work here, much more than his signature smolder. Nothing pulled me in. I needed more feels. It's shot like a documentary, keeping the audience at arms-length. They go for a more observational approach, going from life event to life event, not breaking the surface of anything. I wanted to be immersed in Mark's world, but I never was. The music, while interesting, was overbearing at times. I like the duality between Mark the soft-spoken, kind-hearted guy, and Mark the smashing machine. The makeup is amazing, successfully transforming a rock into a smashing machine. Overall, THE SMASHING MACHINE is sadly underwhelming, but I love the acting. A24 took a swing with this, sport fans might enjoy this, but I found it only alright.

6.2/10 (Kinda Sorta Recommend)

I'm not going to tell you flat out to avoid this film, but I will say you should approach it cautiously. While transforming Dwayne Johnson into another man so much so he's unrecognizable is remarkable, that's not the only thing about the movie you should be concerned with.

If you're like me and have no idea who Mark Kerr is, what his life was like, or what he achieved, then I would say this movie still doesn't answer those questions, fully. I want to know who is. Where did he come from? Why is his relationship with his girlfriend so tumultuous? How did he get into MMA? How did he provide or become the transition for UFC? When and why did his addictions start? I realize this isn't a documentary, but the film could've easily provided a little info for newcomers to help understand what they were getting into while also maintaining the current story. Lastly, the pacing was off for me. The film felt long because I felt lost the entire time and wasn't sure where in the story we necessarily were.

As for what makes this film enjoyable, it's how the action is caught. Bringing you into the arguments and fights. Not shying away from the difficult aspects that exist in the life of the film. The acting by Dwayne Johnson is palpable. This character doesn't feel like a copy/paste of the roles he's had over the last twenty years. It has genuine emotion and feelings. While I don't consistently feel happy, sad, or angry, there was enough emotion to still feel for whatever was happening.

Overall, take some grace with this one. I personally don't see myself watching this one again anytime soon as it didn't elicit anything personal inside of me. Lots of reviews are giving it a 7+ so take that as you will. It's not a trash movie. It just doesn't hit the spot like a biopic and "The Iron Claw" should and did.

That's it for now. Thanks for taking time to read my review. Happy watching and enjoy the show!

The movie has the frame of a good biopic but never quite lands. The Rock pushes himself more than ever, yet the story doesn't feel worthwhile.

There's a thread about two best friends in a fighting league, but it gets sidelined for a tired relationship arc we've seen countless times.

Ironic, really, for a film built around the idea of never achieving greatness.