Warner Bros. recently released a trailer for “Grudge Match,” the story of a longstanding rivalry between two boxers from Pittsburgh. The film is directed by Peter Segal (“50 First Dates” and “Get Smart”), and is scripted by Tim Kelleher and Rodney Rothman. Back in the day, Henry ‘Razor’ Sharp and Billy ‘The Kid’ McDonnen fought two games against one another, but never got to settle the score in a final tiebreaker, as Razor retired the day before their match for the title. Our story begins thirty years later when the disgruntled pair meets again.
What We Love: The cast. The bitter, old enemies are played by Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro, stars of “Rocky” and “Raging Bull,” respectively. Stallone and De Niro have been to the rodeo a couple of times, and their lengthy experience as both actors and faux–boxers is sure to play into the plot (hard to believe, we know). The scene where one of them breaks a hip is sure to be a classic. The movie also stars Kevin Hart, Alan Arkin, Jon Bernthal and Kim Basinger.
What We Don’t: It’s cliché. There’s the token funny black best friend (an trite and stereotypical trope), and the unexpected-and-angry-teenage son who suddenly walks into his unprepared father’s life. It’s an underdog story, accompanied by the already overplayed “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (which has also been featured in the R.I.P.D. trailer, and most recently the Jobs movie trailer). Moreover, I can already guess how “Grudge Match” is going to end. Give us something new.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bQSOBJCPQE
