Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” and Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky” are considered to be the greatest films of the 70s, featuring compelling characters who rise, fall and get back up again.
So what happens when you mix the two together with both Robert De Niro (“American Hustle”) and Stallone (“The Expendables”) reprising their roles? You get an average comedy that unfortunately does not rise above the material.
After a short prologue detailing the missed fight that Henry “Razor” Sharp (Stallone) walked away from against Billy “Kidd” McDonnen (De Niro), the movie cuts to 30 years later where both men are down on their luck.
Razor works in a shipyard while Kid has his own car dealership, but has become a drunk. Luckily for both men, Dante Slate Jr., the son of one of Razor’s opponents (Kevin Hart, “About Last Night”), offers them the chance to model for a boxing video game, but upon meeting one another, their comic fight goes viral. Sensing a way to cash in, Slate offers both men a chance to resolve their rivalry by offering them money to participate in a pay-per-view boxing event.
Director Peter Segal is no stranger to comedy with directing credits that include
“50 First Dates” and “Get Smart.” Segal inserts some winking references to both actor’s careers including one amusing gag occurs when Razor’s trainer, Alan Arkin (“Get Smart”), questions the absurdity of punching meat in a freezer, the plot beats are very familiar.
When Kid finds out that he fathered a son, BJ (Jon Bernthal, “The Walking Dead”), with Sally (Kim Basinger, “L.A. Confidential”), Razor’s former girlfriend, it’s telegraphed right from the moment they meet that BJ will train him up for the big fight.
