The Bronze

"I'm not a coach—I'm a star!" Hope (Melissa Rauch)

The Bronze is not a comedy—it's a dreary drama! A has-been bronze 2004 Olympic medalist, Hope, can't get over her misfortune of pulling an Achilles heel in that 2004 competition and thus aborting her future plans for gold. I suppose her bitter personality, verbally abusing everyone in her path, could qualify for dark comedy, but Billy Bob's Bad Santa she's not, certainly not Fargo or Shaun of the Dead.

When Hope is spitting invective on everyone, Hope has a Midwestern twang truly annoying and crying out for a coach. Beside that irritation, Ms. Rauch and her husband, Winston, have few if any lines worth the comic designation. Humorous in its own way is love interest Ben's (Thomas Middleditch) constant twitching, but even that endearing affliction gets old soon. Gary Cole playing her dad is a pro as a weak father trying to balance out his beloved daughter emotionally while she continues to abuse him verbally.

So you ask what's good besides Gary Cole? Well, Hope's transformation into a semi-civilized person comes as she's forced to coach sweet Olympic hopeful, Maggie (Haley Lu Richardson), a rival for the small-town Ohio's worship of Hope's Bronze achievement. Hope is much more likable as a coach than a former athlete, and some of those coach scenes are believable.

Also noteworthy is the production design, especially Hope's room filled with tacky trophies and teddy bears, attesting to this film's greatest achievement—a story of arrested development with little hope that Hope will be a model citizen. After all, it takes some moral fiber to disavow casual sex and mail theft for their cheap acquisition.

Her last scene, however, promises a transformation we get too little of during our time with her .

In some ways, "The Bronze" is so entertaining because Melissa Rauch is playing someone in diametric opposition to her mousy character on "The Big Bang Theory". Hope Gregory is the sort of Olympics washout that's fun to laugh at; a foul-mouthed brat who trades in her local celebrity for free stuff at the mall. Rauch really plays the Midwestern accent to the hilt, and it pairs very nicely with the coarse dialogue.

Somewhere in all of this is a sports movie, but that's not where it excels. This character ends up right back where she started, and it works great as an exaggerated portrait of a has-been in a no-name town. This flew completely under my radar, and I was surprised (happily) by how enjoyable it was.

She's very funny.

7/10

I want to start out by saying this film is fantastic..! It starts out REALLY slow & I almost made the mistake by turning it off but I stuck with it & boy am I glad.. Melissa Rauch who I'd never heard of before watching this film is hilarious.. She plays a mean foul mouthed former Olympian bronze medalist who is still living off that fame 12 yrs later & plays the part like a BOSS..!

*******WARNING*******

This film isn't for everyone it is filled with cuss words, sexual innuendos, nudity & a whole bunch of funny so if you like any or all of the above you'll love this film.. 7.5/10

I was not expecting much so I got a little more than I was bargaining for. It's not the best comedy that I've ever seen, but it's a pretty decent sports movie.

Very grounded in reality, The Bronze is about a gymnast still living off the moment she took the Bronze in the 2004 Olympics who is forced to train another gymnast from her hometown going for the gold.

Definitely amusing to watch Melissa Rauch (who I just realizes is one of the girls on The Big Bang Theory) as Hope, whose sad existence made for some laughable moments as she attempts to sabotage the promising career of Maggie, a bright eyed gold medal contender who worships the ground Hope walks on. I thought Haley Lu Richardson performance as Maggie was a definite highlight to a movie that did not have much going as far as real interesting characters.

It's not laugh out loud funny but it has some enjoyable moments. It does work as a sports movie with a more down to Earth summary of overcoming obstacles to be a winner and what happens when that moment is over.

Something to watch on the whim if you see on Netflix or something.

Raunchy comedy set in Amherst, Ohio about Hope Ann Gregory, a self-important former gymnastics bronze medalist who tries to milk her small town celebrity status while also mooching off her father, a fed up local mailman. Hope is finally given the opportunity to do something for someone other than herself when asked to train a rising young gymnastics student, if only she can put her ego aside long enough to realize she has to be the coach and not the star. Flip, foulmouthed, but mostly unfunny comedy features one of the most inventive and topsy-turvy intimate scenes you're likely to see, but beyond that it's fairly by the numbers with a multitude of one-note characters, though Stan does manage to make the most of his role as an arrogant gold medalist and rival. *½