Grudge Match is going to be big. I can feel it. Hopefully you won't be calling me out on that prediction in a few months, but after seeing the trailer, the release date and who all is anchoring this safe yet warm-hearted comedy I can only see there being one outcome for the flick and that is for it to blow up at the box office and become a huge financial success while being critically dismissed but not trashed. Anyone remember Wild Hogs from a few years ago? It was a half-assed effort that threw some big names together and played on their chemistry while raking in a ton of moolah in return. This looks to do the same kind of thing as the film is clearly more interested in playing off the legacy of its two stars rather than creating something new and original. Honestly, there isn't anything really wrong with that. In fact, DeNiro might get his second hit of the fall season doing exactly that as a month earlier he'll partake in a Hangover-style comedy that partners him with other veteran and well-respected actors behaving badly with Last Vegas. Directed by the king of light, family-friendly comedies Peter Segal (The Longest Yard, Get Smart) the film follows the much hyped rivalry between Rocky Balboa and Jake La Motta (not really, but c'mon...who are they kidding?) as they come back into the lime light after a video of them fighting in motion capture suits while filming footage for a boxing video game goes viral. The re-match is naturally scheduled as it never came to fruition in their prime and the film will no doubt follow the ins-and-outs of them preparing for this one last fight. The bright side is each of them have a funny guy in their corner in the form of Alan Arkin and Kevin Hart who, if nothing, else, will make this a pretty funny affair. Grudge Match also stars Jon Bernthal, Kim Basinger, Camden Grey and opens on Christmas Day. Hit the jump to check out the first trailer now.
Synopsis: In “Grudge Match,” De Niro and Stallone play Billy “The Kid” McDonnen and Henry “Razor” Sharp, two local Pittsburgh fighters whose fierce rivalry put them in the national spotlight. Each had scored a victory against the other during their heyday, but in 1983, on the eve of their decisive third match, Razor suddenly announced his retirement, refusing to explain why but effectively delivering a knock-out punch to both their careers. Thirty years later, boxing promoter Dante Slate Jr., seeing big dollar signs, makes them an offer they can’t refuse: to re-enter the ring and settle the score once and for all.
But they may not have to wait that long: on their first encounter in decades, their long-festering feud erupts into an unintentionally hilarious melee that instantly goes viral. The sudden social media frenzy transforms their local grudge match into a must-see HBO event. Now, if they can just survive the training, they may actually live to fight again.
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