Review by Paul Salfen
This is Paul Salfen with your KLAK Movie Minute. In theaters this weekend is The Smashing Machine, the new film starring Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock about Mark Kerr, a pioneering UFC champion that isn’t a household name, but paved the way for the stars that reap the benefits now. With the hair and makeup and change in voice cadence, you forget it’s The Rock for the most part, which really serves the film and Emily Blunt is fantastic as the troubled girlfriend but the story itself is surprisingly not that strong. While Kerr had a bout with pain medicine, nothing really too dramatic happens in the end: he’s still alive, he didn’t win big, he isn’t remembered that well, and it just kind of leaves you wondering why of all the great fighters that he was chosen. And Benny Safdie is now on his own and certainly seems to be missing the dynamic duo greatness he had with his brother. It’s very much an A24 film so its meandering way may not connect with the general population but it may still have an Oscar run even though it’s not a total slam dunk. That’s it for this week. Join me next week for another Movie Minute right here on 97.5 KLAK, AMFM Magazine, and RECRD.
