GRUDGE MATCH DVD (2013)

SYNOPSIS: Oscar winner Robert De Niro and Pscar nominee Sylvester Stallone sta as old boxing rivals who come out of retirement for one final match. Boxing promoter Dante Slate Jr makes them an offer they can't refuse: to reenter the ring and settle the score once and for all. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

If the names Rocky Balboa and Jake La Motta don’t ring a bell to you then Grudge Match is unlikely your cup of tea.

Peter Segal (Get Smart, 50 First Dates) simply takes a dig at one of Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone’s iconic onscreen roles filled it with jokes about fat and getting old, family and lost love and the stage is set.

30 years ago, two Pittsburgh boxers, Henry "Razor" Sharp (Stallone) and Billy "The Kid" McDonnen (De Niro) rocked the boxing scene. But an announced rematch between the two never happened when Razor suddenly quit the sports leaving Kid with a grudge against his opponent till now. Promoter Dante Slate Jr (Kevin Hart) decides to bring these two old folks together for a motion capture performance for a video game and before you know it, soon escalating into one of the biggest rematch in boxing history.

As this reviewer gets older as the years go, he realizes he wouldn’t mind the taste of nostalgia. De Niro and Stallone might be too old, saggy even to pull a decent punch but their performances and comic timing right here is flawless. Just like their age, the movie can be a little slow at times, the comic material occasionally uneven especially Hart’s role as their promoter whose appearance seems rather out of place. But the movie has so much heart to embrace and Alan Arkin as Razor’s ex trainer, Lightning whose poison tongue always saves the day every time he is onscreen.

Adding to the cast is another old-timer Kim Basinger (still looking gorgeous) as Razor’s ex-girlfriend, Sally who unfortunately has a one-night stand with Kid years back thus resulting in a son, B.J. (Jon Bernthal) and of course the possible reason why Razor exited from the sports. Apparently, the rivalry is sowed off stage though quite unbelievably told. Segal seems more at ease cracking jokes about Razor’s diet and training regime.    

In the end, Grudge Match plays well to the two leading men age. You can’t really fault them for not fighting well. That’s just being scrooge. It is pretty funny and the message about family is decently delivered. Perhaps it’s nostalgia getting into me or the fact that I really like the pairing of De Niro and Stallone in a comedy.  

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Six Deleted Scenes with Director Peter Segal commentary are included. A few of them are alternate or extended takes and they are quite fun actually. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The audio track is serviceable at best not the kind you expect from a contemporary sports title yet there’s enough rear speaker activity and ambient effects. Aside from some poorly done CGI, video presentation is strong and detailed. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee