I’ve been waiting for Dwayne Johnson to star in a drama for a long time. He’s dabbled in it a bit, with scenes in films like “Skyscraper”, “Snitch” and “San Andreas”. But the majority of his career has either been headlining big action movies or family comedies (live-action and animated). So my expectations going into “The Smashing Machine”, in which he reunites with “Jungle Cruise” co-star Emily Blunt, were pretty high.
After seeing the film, I came to two conclusions I didn’t expect: 1 — This is one of the biggest disappointments of the year. And 2 — I still want to see Johnson in a drama… that has nothing to do with sports or athletics. I still think he can deliver an excellent, moving performance, if given great material. Maybe it will take a quiet family drama with a genuinely emotional script.
When it comes to “The Smashing Machine”, watching Johnson is the only somewhat interesting aspect of an otherwise lifeless, lightweight movie. As MMA/UFC fighter Mark Kerr, Johnson has a few gritty, effective moments, but they’re mostly trapped in dull arguments with girlfriend Dawn (played by Blunt) that make us feel like we’re watching a bad reality TV show. Director Benny Safdie shoots “TSM” like a documentary, and this style doesn’t work at all.
There’s just nothing here about this slice of Kerr’s life (1997 to 2000) that’s compelling or worth sticking with. Had it not been for the curiosity of Johnson and Blunt in these (ultimately one-note) roles, I could’ve tapped out of “TSM” pretty early. The saga of Mark and Dawn is cyclical. During one of their fights, I found myself paying more attention to Bob Barker’s pricing game on the television in the background.
“TSM” also has no legitimate arc. The writing is pretty shallow and obvious (including a scene in which Mark and Dawn watch cars getting repeatedly smashed — Was that supposed to be profound?) There’s constant music and some oddball choices (like *all* of “My Way” — Really?). An overall self-righteous vibe, right to the end, comes-off as sour.
Johnson and Blunt should quickly move on from this and focus on their upcoming Martin Scorsese mob movie, which hopefully, is a smashing success.
LCJ GRADE: D+
Running Time: 123 min.