The Smashing Machine

A24 strikes again with a sports movie with a sad story using a Safdie brother. What's new? Ok, enough of being a negative nancy, the Rock was really not bad. It is clear he is trying which in turn puts this far above his regular performance of the brand-safe, strictly charisma roles. This may be the best thing since since The Game Plan (2007).

Starring alongside Emily Blunt, the film creates a portrait of obsession rather than the traditional sports biopic. Athletes, especially professional athletes should pride themselves on their obsession with their craft, it is how you get yourself up in the morning. As an athlete myself; where would I be without my hunger to strive towards something better? Seeing this in a film is very raw as most biopics fail to show this when I know deep down, that person is probably breathing, sleeping, eating whatever they are doing. This film is not about glory and triumph so much as a story of a man who is destroying himself for greatness. A biopic where the subject is still alive can always go one of two ways, and I think this went the right way. While most with alive subjects feel overly sanitized; this film does not shy away from the ugliness even though it doesn't dig as deep as it could have.

While boring at times, I think it was a good story to tell. There is no way around boredom. The boredom feels intentional at some points, it wants you to live in the monotony and discomfort that Mike Kerr was living in. It truly brought my attention to the world of MMA fighting. However, I do not think they did enough with the story given, it fell flat at times. With the material given; addiction, fame, physical decay, the script plays it too safe causing emotional moments to lack a little something. There were very dramatic moments in this film but they went by so quick it was like, BAM! And now we are back to the boring, whispered conversations.

This was made up for with the grade A makeup which is being represent at the Oscars! The technical craft of this film elevated the story with genuinely impressive work. The Rock's transformation does a lot of the heavy lifting, it is impossible not to be drawn in by the physical changes of someone so noticeable in Hollywood like The Rock. The shots, editing, and lighting kept drawing my attention in no matter how boring the dialogue was at times. Arguably the greatest strength of this film was the visuals making it a little harder to fully disengage.

It was a nice touch bringing in the real Mike Kerr at the end of the film. It grounded the film in reality after spending so much time in heavy dramatization. Bringing in the subject reminds you this is not just some performance experience for The Rock; it is someone's real life that is actively unfolding. Overall, The Smashing Machine is more of an actors movie, an attempt at Oscar bait than a sports movie. It is fearless, a little dull, and restrained when it should be fearless. This film is a sincere attempt from The Rock to break free from the mold he trapped himself in. Is it a Zac Efron level of reinvention we saw in The Iron Claw? No, and I could go on and on about The Iron Claw but I will not in this review. The trying attempts alone are worth talking about, especially the makeup.