It's a new year and a new set of movies to look forward to in the coming months ahead, and midway into January there's been a lot of films I've caught that are fun and entertaining to watch. One of them happens to be a Sports Comedy film I've anxiously looked forward to since it was announced last year, and it stars two Hollywood legends who have more than set the bar in their respective careers, but have chosen to do this as both a tribute and jab at arguably their best films centered around the main characters they play who are professional boxers.
I'm talking about none other than Peter Segal's "Grudge Match", which came out last Christmas in the US and finally makes its way to international territories like the Philippines this week. Starring Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro, two former boxing rivals come out of retirement after 30 years to finally settle their feud and put past issues and demons behind them... Whether it means tearing each other apart before the actual match takes place! Presented by Warner Bros. PH, this is one film that will definitely entertain fans of "Rocky" and "Raging Bull", so here's the review to this stellar old man fight now out in cinemas!
Movie: Grudge Match
Release Date: December 25, 2013 (US), January 15, 2014 (RP)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Kim Basinger, Jon Bernthal, Kevin Hart, Alan Arkin
Directed By: Peter Segal
Reuniting "Cop Land" stars Sly Stallone and Robert De Niro, "Grudge Match" is certainly what you expect - two retired boxers who have one win against one another who FINALLY get to engage in their long postponed final match to decide who among them is the best. Stallone plays Henry "Razor" Sharp, the rival of De Niro's Billy "The Kid" McDonnen, who hate each others guts and don't exactly get along well with one another. In the early 80's, both men score a win against one another, and right before their third match, Razor announces his retirement which effectively ends the careers of both men.
Flash forward to present day, and Razor now works in a shipyard while Kid maintains a restaurant and bar business. Both men are visited by promoter Dante Slate Jr, who invites the retired boxers to motion capture for a boxing video game at different time slots. Unfortunately, Razor and Kid meet and quickly get into a comedic fist fight that quickly goes viral, starting hype and anticipation that they finally settle their "Grudge Match". The fight quickly gets the green light, and both men have their chance to settle the score once and for all. However, figures from both men's past quickly come into their lives and prove to have unexpected influences that will either keep them from beating the crap out of each other or give them the motivation to see who is truly the best among the two of them once and for all.
I got to hand it to director Peter Segal for giving film viewers their dream of actually seeing Sly" Rocky Balboa" Stallone facing off against Robert "Jake LaMotta" De Niro is heaven sent even if they aren't playing those actual characters. "Grudge Match" cleverly uses comedic outbursts and tropes between the two "geriatric boxers" and through thick and thin makes them realize that there's more to just winning a match or settling the score to put their demons to rest. The cast is surprising fun and well-rounded, and I was actually surprised to the likes of Kim Basinger and The Walking Dead and Shane actor Jon Bernthal among the people in the movie. Bernthal in particular may be gone from the popular zombie TV show full time, but he's a great actor and shows his chops here pretty well. Comedian Kevin Hart adds his crazy and wackiness as promoter Dante Slate Jr. for awesome comedy relief, and you'll see a small but cool cameo from musician turned actor LL Cool J as well. Oh, and veteran Alan Arkin surprises as Razor's old friend and trainer Lightning. You'll chuckle at the many Rocky references this film has, that's for sure.
So is Grudge Match worth seeing? Absolutely for boxing fans and those who love films based on them. Sly Stallone and Rober De Niro starring here alone is worth the price of admission, and while certainly it may not appeal to everyone with it's cliche comedy antics, there's still fun to be had here with this solid one-two punch of a funny movie. Go see it in theaters while you can!
Rating - 4/5
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