| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| turrell |
Posted - 07/24/2008 : 16:25:36
I want to recommend a movie to the FWFR community. It's a nice little independent film from the writers/produces of Kissing Jessica Stein and stars Adam Carolla of Loveline and The Man Show fame. If I didn't lose you after Man Show, I assure you that this is not a gross out flick - in fact in some ways this is kind of a chick flick Rocky movie.
It is semi-autobiographical about Carolla who in real life was a carpenter and former Los Angeles Golden Gloves champion - so the boxing scenes are actually far better than in most movies. Carolla later trained late-night host Jimmy Kimmel in boxing which was Adam's entree into radio and television.
In the movie, Jerry Ferro is a slacker carpenter who upon turning 40 realizes that he is going no where in his personal life - his girlfriend, played by Constance Zimmer (Entourage), thinks he's a loser for not taking his general contractor license. He moonlights as a boxing instructor at a fancy gym in Los Angeles where he meets Heather Jurgensen (Kissing Jessica Stein), an overworked underpaid public defender who gets roughed up by one of her crackhead clients. Jerry is asked to spar with a pro and he knocks the guy out with his Hammer of his left hand (people think he is called the Hammer because he is a carpenter but really that knickname comes from his golden gloves days).
He is discovered by an amateur trainer who invites him to tryout for the US Olympic team - mostly thinking he will be a good sparring partner for his prized pupil.
That's not giving away too much, really - that's just the set-up but its a great story of someone who decides to stop wasting his life and start giving a damn. Carolla is no great actor but he is very likeable in the role and is believable (probably because he co-wrote and relates to teh subject matter so much). His real-life construction pal and Nicaraguan sidekick, Oswaldo Castillo, essentially plays himself in the movie to great effect and steals a lot of scenes. Jurgensen is very good and allows Carolla to show his softside as they struggle through their mismatched career aspirations and enjoy a trip to the LaBrea Tar Pits.
The movie has laughs and even inspires a few tears. It explores race relations to humorous effect - the prized 22-year old black fighter who Ferro trains with asks his trainer if he would give a black 40-year old the same chance he is giving Carolla's character to which Carolla replies "Yeah coach, when is teh black man going to get a chance in the fight business". Its a good boxing movie with technically accurate training montages, its a buddy film with Ozzie loyally taking care of Jerry and Jerry always looking out for Ozzie, and its a nice romance between Carolla and Jurgensen. It got two thumbs up on At the Movies when it had a small theatrical release in the US.
The movie site is: http://www.thehammermovie.com/
a nice netflix find |
| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| silly |
Posted - 08/07/2008 : 19:42:15
Oh, yeah, they were OOD jokes. I love the whole "we've now gone from an outing to a field trip" bit.
Makes me think about boxing slightly differently, too. I'll try and get my wife to watch it sometime soon. |
| turrell |
Posted - 08/07/2008 : 16:04:21
Cool, Silly. Yes its joky but they were good jokes and if you have ever listened to Adam on the Radio or seen him on TV (he's hosting teh upcoming American version of Top Gear) - that's just him - very sharp, super-fast wit and cracking non-stop jokes.
As for your wife - I bet she'd have liked it - nice romance story too. |
| silly |
Posted - 08/07/2008 : 14:11:41
It was a great movie!
I'm scratching my head over the "R" rating; I truly loved the story line and the acting was good.
It's obvious there was no "blockbuster budget" for this, but I think that's a good thing - more focus on the characters when you don't have a ton of special effects and such.
One minor quibble - at times I though Adam was a little too much like Seinfeld; I realize his character would just make a joke to fill an awkward silence but it seemed a little too much. Or maybe I'm just jealous that I never have anything clever to say? Hmm. 
Good movie. I wish I could have gotten my wife to watch it, but she tends to run away if I tell her "it's a good movie." |
| turrell |
Posted - 08/01/2008 : 23:15:23
quote:
Originally posted by silly
Cool.
With 250 movies in my Netflix queue, the 'long wait' won't seem very long.
Update: it's shipping today, wasn't so long after all 
Good - let me know what you think - to set expectations - this is a movie without stars and a sub $1 million budget, but I thought it was a nice boxing meets rom com with Carolla's unique wit and charm wrapped in. Hope you ike it and if not - I'll owe you a beer. ;-) |
| silly |
Posted - 07/25/2008 : 16:27:57
Cool.
With 250 movies in my Netflix queue, the 'long wait' won't seem very long.
Update: it's shipping today, wasn't so long after all |
| turrell |
Posted - 07/25/2008 : 06:22:39
Well I actually bought a copy because I am a big fan of his radio show and him in particular.
Incidentally NBC is doing an American version of Top Gear which is by the same producers and supposed top be very true to the BBC version and Adam is going to host that this fall.
I understand you can also get the Hammer at Blockbuster (probably just here in the US). |
| silly |
Posted - 07/24/2008 : 17:15:21
Okay, I put it in my Netflix queue, and got "this movie has a long wait." So, send your copy back already so I can see it!
And thanks. I love getting recommendations from here, I'm never disappointed. |
