Grudge Match Movie Blurb by Shale January 1, 2014 I wanted to see this movie last week (or was it last year) when it opened, but the weather was a washout so I stayed home. I've never been a fan of boxing, so I never saw Rocky in 1976 or Raging Bull in 1980 but there must have been ppl wondering what if ...? Well, here it is. Two retired Pittsburgh boxers from that era, Henry "Razor" Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) and Billy "The Kid" McDonnen (Robert DeNiro) who were close contenders, each having KO'd the other in one of their two matches never had the planned rematch that would have determined 2 out of 3 who was best. Seems Razor announced his retirement from boxing before the match could be held. And, there were bad feelings between the two men that went beyond the ring. McDonnen went on to establish successful businesses selling cars and a running a bar, while Razor worked at a shipyard. Razor is taking care of his old trainer Louis "Lightning" Conlon (Alan Arkin) when he gets laid off and is having financial problems. Promoter Dante Slate Jr. (Kevin Hart) approaches him about doing a digital motion-capture performance for a video game of him and The Kid for $10K. He wants nothing to do with it but is assured he will not have to actually perform with The Kid and so reluctantly takes the job. When Billy shows up early the two get into a real fight, trash the studio, get hauled off by the cops and the cell-phone video of that goes viral. Green Suit Fighters This exposure increases public interest, which works into putting both men back in the ring for their grudge match - sponsored by Geritol of course. Lightening is going to train Razor and get him in shape while The Kid goes to a gym where he doesn't get much help until B.J. (Jon Bernthal) a young man from his past shows up. Razor, The Kid & Dante Meanwhile, the publicity has also brought Sally Rose (Kim Bassinger) the Razor's estranged girlfriend from 30 years past back into his life. I won't go too much into the backstory and subplots - let them unfold when they do. While this was a comedy, I found some poignant dramatic moments, besides the underlying theme of two men in their late 60s getting one last defining male moment. Touch Gloves & Come Out Fighting This movie received generally negative reviews with only 21% of the aggregate reviewers on Rottentomatoes liking it and only 64% of audiences liking it. So, I guess it is another of those unpopular movies that I really enjoyed.
SPOILER (for non New Orleans residents) Tho the setting of this movie is Pittsburgh and there are some establishing shots of that city, the movie was filmed in New Orleans. Now this is common practice because old buildings look alike everywhere, so movies set in NYC can have a lot of shots made in Toronto. But, to ppl who lived in New Orleans, such as myself, there was a glaring giveaway shot in an old neighborhood (are there any other kind in that city?) that made me instantly realize they were not filming in Pittsburgh. It was a rundown motel part of town with an abandoned commercial brick building in the background. This building was the Dixie Brewery on Tulane Ave - a very distinctive bldg with a metallic dome on top that once said Dixie Beer, but now in ruins with only Beer remaining. Went online and found a pic of the old Dixie Brewery. This is pretty much the angle shot in the movie scene
I found this movie entertaining, The ending was kind of meh but overall it had some funny parts. I found it clever how these old school fighters were being promoted through a lot of modern day means. They also make some subtle references in a comedic fashion to the actors previous roles.
