Director: Peter Segal.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Kim Basinger, Kevin Hart, Alan Arkin, Joe Bernthal.
Running Time: 113 minutes.
Certificate: 12A.
Synopsis: Thirty years after their last encounter, two of boxing’s greatest rivals are coaxed out of retirement for one last fight. But will the ageing titans be up to the challenge?
Grudge Match wastes no time in nailing its colours to the mast. The opening sports-show montage detailing their historic rivalry uses promotional shots from RAGING BULL and ROCKY and is the first of many nods to those classic fight-films throughout. Make no mistake about it, this motion picture is proud to be ‘RAGING BULL vs ROCKY’. And all things considered, it’s about as good as it could be.
Sly plays Henry ‘Razor’ Sharp, a former champ who, upon retiring, went back to his blue-collar job. De Niro plays his nemesis Billy ‘The Kid’ McDonnen who, upon retiring, put on weight, opened a bar and did boxing related stand-up comedy. Sound familiar? It’s no coincidence that these characters are picked up where Rocky Balboa and Jake La Motta left off and these are but a few of the constant references, nods, winks and downright shoves at the legacy of the two cinematic heavyweights. This is all fine and dandy, but it just isn’t very funny and the script (written by Doug Ellin, Tim Kelleher and Rodney Rothman) packs as much of a comedic punch as an asthmatic halibut prodding some seaweed. Though there are two or three chucklesome moments – the blue screen casino-buffet advert springs to mind – and Kevin Hart is enjoyable enough as a wannabe Don King, the gags tend to fall flatter than Apollo Creed in ROCKY IV.
Kim Basinger does what she can as practically the only woman in the whole film, apart from some nameless, voiceless bikini-clad ring girls and a gold digger or two. Generally it’s not a film that’s interested in women, it is a study of masculinity and growing old, because Lord knows ageing white men aren’t catered to in cinema enough… Basinger gets to pine, admonish and seem regretful, but that’s about it. When it comes to the remaining supporting players, far more attention is paid to Razor’s coach (Alan Arkin) and Kid’s son (Joe Bernthal). The latter is actually pretty good, channelling a young De Niro and playing the weary but well-meaning young man who inspires his pa into action. Arkin, on the other hand, gets to do his, ‘I’m old! I’m unpredictable! I can say what I like!’ schtick which was charming in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and grating in ARGO. Here he’s just plain annoying and if the writers made half the effort with Basinger’s substance as they did with Arkin’s ‘I’m old LOL’ twattery, we would have something far more interesting.
If examined as a comedy in and of itself, GRUDGE MATCH is just below average. But seen as a career retrospective for De Niro and Stallone, it’s really quite interesting. At a press conference to promote the film, Sly told us that Bobby had to coax him into making it, which also happens in the movie with Kid trying to talk Razor into one more match. The whole affair is pretty meta when you consider that it’s about two former greats, neither of whom have done anything worth while for years, trying to relive their salad days and doing quite an average job of it. As a companion piece to ROCKY and RAGING BULL, it works. But only in that regard. It ain’t over ’til it’s over. But it’s over now.
[usr=3] GRUDGE MATCH is released in UK cinemas on Friday 24th January.
