I just wrapped up watching “The Smashing Machine,” and thought it was an okay movie. It had lots of potential and hype but didn’t quite live up to those expectations. This movie is a very emotional sports biographical drama that is based on the 2002 HBO documentary also called “The Smashing Machine.” This follows the true story of mixed martial artist (MMA) Mark Kerr. 

Set in the late 1990s and early 2000s “The Smashing Machine”, follows the intense period of Mark Kerr’s (Dwayne Johnson) life and career as an MMA fighter. It is set across the U.S. and Japan, as Kerr battles his opponents in the ring and also struggles with addiction, physical pain, and a strained relationship with his girlfriend Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt). These are all major parts of the film as Kerr rises in the brutal world of early mixed martial arts. In the film, Kerr joins the PRIDE Fighting Championships in Japan after his time in the UFC. Kerr fights in this league alongside his best friend Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader). After his addiction problems are addressed and handled thanks to Dawn and Coleman, he begins training with Bas Rutten (played by himself). Rutten then helps him train for the 2000 Pride Grand Prix in Japan. During this time Kerr is still struggling with his relationship with Dawn. 

I thought this was one of Johnson’s weaker movies, even though he trained harder than ever before. He trained four hours a day, gaining 30 pounds, and learning mixed martial arts to make sure he accurately portrayed Kerr. He was in great shape and looked nearly identical to Kerr, but didn’t play the role that well. This role didn’t allow him to be his usual self, but he did a great job portraying Kerr’s emotions and habits in the film. Blunt was by far the best in the movie. She did great at embracing the loving yet volatile dynamic of her and Kerr’s relationship. Also, there were many real life pro fighters in the movie. I thought this was a cool approach to make the film more realistic, but it was also obvious as their acting skills were not great. Bader, who is a pro MMA fighter, made his movie debut in this movie along with the other pro fighters.

There were more things I disliked than liked in the movie. I felt like most scenes didn’t go into much detail, as the movie skipped around a lot. Although I liked how emotional the film was, there were still a few very great scenes that captured Kerr’s intense lifestyle and rocky relationship with his partner Dawn and his addiction issues. The main thing I disliked was the lack of main characters in the movie. There were only four main characters, and the rest were all background roles that barely contributed to the film.

A very great lesson this movie presents is to not let success get in the way of your relationships with yourself and the ones you love. Obviously Kerr was a very successful fighter, but he let that success lead him down a dark path affecting his relationship with Dawn and mistreating himself. I think others will learn this same thing, as this film will help them craft a different outlook on the importance of relationships rather than success. 

I’d recommend this film to anyone that enjoys professional fighting, along with Mark Kerr. Also, anyone who has watched the 2002 HBO documentary about Kerr would find this movie to make much more sense. Although if you are not into intense fighting, along with intense emotional drama then this movie is not for you. The movie is rated R, due to language and some drug abuse.