Smashing Machine

While this is undoubtedly the best we've seen dwayne johnson, that's not necessarily saying all that much. If an NBA player goes from 2 points a game to 15, that's an impressive improvement but that doesn't mean he's an MVP. And with all the talk of dwayne johnson's performance, it's a little ironic that emily blunt and ryan bader acted circles around him every scene there were in.

Overall this was a frustratingly well stylized movie that would be otherwise aggressively mediocre.

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.

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.

This movie was so slow. I struggled to get into it. Half the fights were cut out, not sure why. You can try to see what the movie was trying to do, but execution was horrible. I don't see why the Rock playing a fighter is considered a huge acting lift.

Save your money and wait for streaming to be disappointed.

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.