The Smashing Machine Fails to Break the Box Office—A Movie Review
The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, was projected to earn around 20 million in its opening weekend, a figure that fell to 8 million, before eventually earning only 5.8 million.
Despite the poor showings, the film received fairly positive reviews, most of which praised The Rock’s performance as Mark Kerr.
The film follows Kerr, an MMA fighter addicted to opiates, who struggles to overcome his problems both in and outside of the ring.
Johnson’s performance is the best part of the film—if you can ignore that it’s The Rock. Near the end of the film, he shaves his head and looks just like the actor himself. He also looks a bit odd, since he is 52 and trying to play a 30-year-old man.
Outside of his appearance, Johnson manages to change his cadence and really transform into Kerr. This is the type of performance Johnson needed, one that can show that he has a real ability to act.
The other actors do a fine enough job, but only Emily Blunt is capable of giving a good performance. The other actors, Bas Ruten, Ryan Bader, and Oleksander Usyk, are MMA fighters and boxers. While this definitely made the fight scenes better, none of them could give a truly good acting performance.
The weakest part of this film is its pacing. It takes place over three years, and it can be hard to tell how long it has been between scenes. Emily Blunt’s character becomes the biggest victim of this, with their arguments being over years but seeming like they’re between a few months.
Overall, the film accomplished its goal. It showed the story of Mark Kerr, it showed Benny Safdie’s ability to make a film without his brother, and Johnson’s ability to give a compelling performance.
