I was on a high, excited that I hadn’t seen a bad film so far during my time at the Toronto International Film Festival. All of that changed, however, when I saw THE SMASHING MACHINE, which is the most disappointing film I have seen this year. Admittedly, I had high hopes—I love fighting movies and will see anything starring Emily Blunt. On top of that, I have always thought her chemistry with Dwayne Johnson is electric and I was excited to see what they would do in a more dramatic film. But despite being a film about fighting, I found THE SMASHING MACHINE dull and emotionally vacant. Worst of all, Emily Blunt’s character is terribly underwritten, her only identity being that of “the girlfriend.” I know everyone is expecting this to be an awards movie this year, but the only possibility I see with this one is an acting nomination for Dwayne Johnson.
Based on a 2002 documentary, THE SMASHING MACHINE follows Mark Kerr (Johnson), a legend in the mixed martial arts/wrestling world that was a key player in the development of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). From 1997-2000, the film follows Mark’s battle with addiction, the volatile relationship with his girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt), and his fears of mediocrity within the sport. Much of the film takes place in Japan, with Mark participating in numerous PRIDE tournaments as he solidifies his reputation in the UFC. He fights men from all different martial arts disciplines, seeking to prove that a huge guy like him, who specializes in wrestling, can win out in the end. Mark may be a huge, tough man, but he also wears his heart on his sleeve, making it clear that losing is never an option for him.
I liked that Safdie’s script only focused on a short period of time in Mark’s life and didn’t try to do the full biopic cradle to grave deep-dive. However, the film struggles to properly contextualize its main character within the UFC universe for people with no reference points. I will not pretend to know anything about the UFC, or even how it works now, but I didn’t fully understand Mark’s place in UFC history until the very end of the film after it is spelled out for audiences. I kept waiting for something big to happen to explain why a movie was being made about Mark; I wondered if Dawn was going to kill him or if he was going to die in the octagon.
But no, the point of the movie is shining a spotlight on Mark as an underrated legend in the industry. The problem is, it was never super clear to me just how good Mark was supposed to be. He spends his time predominately fighting in Japan and I (incorrectly) assumed that was because he couldn’t make it in the United States. I also didn’t realize Johnson was supposed to be playing 20+ years younger, so I thought Mark was a lot older than his opponents and may be struggling to hang with the younger fighters. Additionally, the script is not successful in hitting the emotional arcs. Even when Mark is hospitalized from his struggle with substance abuse, the scene came off as emotionally detached more than anything else.
On the bright side, as much as I disliked the film, I do think Dwayne Johnson was great as Mark. At the very least, his performance shows he has the dramatic chops to take on more meaty roles. Johnson perfectly plays Mark’s gentle giant qualities, while also showing his inner turmoil bubbling under the surface. A door hated to see Mark coming. As I said before, I do find it a little strange that Johnson is the same age as the person he is portraying, which means he is supposed to be playing 20+ years younger in the film. But honestly, this role seems tailor-made for him, so I will excuse the confusion it creates. Additionally, Johnson’s makeup was distracting in the first and second acts; it gets a bit better when he shaves his head, but then he just looks more like himself. Still, if this film is to get any award buzz, I wouldn’t be upset if it focuses on his performance; it’s clear how much he gave to the role and how much it means to him.
Unfortunately, Emily Blunt is given a lot less to do. All of my issues with her character are no fault of hers, they are with the script. Her performance, as always, is great and she does the best she can with a criminally underdeveloped character. Written very similarly to the satirical “every boxer’s girlfriend” from Saturday Night Live, Dawn is portrayed as a one-note irritant. She only exists to be Mark’s girlfriend and is given no layers or growth of her own. I think the script wants us to root for Dawn and Mark to be together (at least in the beginning), but their relationship is severely half-baked in the script. The only relationship in the film with any depth is Mark’s bromance with his friend Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader).
THE SMASHING MACHINE was one of my most anticipated films of the year, so to say I am underwhelmed by the final product is an understatement. I hope others, especially those that understand UFC, enjoy the movie more than I did. It at least made me want to watch the documentary the film is based on so I can try to learn a little more about Mark Kerr and how his contributions have impacted the sport.
My Review: C-
