Here Comes the Boom!

[JoeChar4321]

Preview Scene: http://videos.funwal.com/here-comes-...cated-shoulder

Directed by Frank Coraci

Written by Kevin James, Rock Reuben

Plot: A high school biology teacher looks to become a successful mixed-martial arts fighter in an effort to raise money to prevent extra-curricular activities from being axed at his cash-strapped school.

Starring: Kevin James, Salma Hayek and Henry Winkler

Rated PG

Runtime: 105 minutes

I wanted to go see Agro today but the show times couldn't line up for my schedule. So, I rolled my eyes and settled for this film. Maybe it was the fact I had VERY low expectations but I found this movie to be a very pleasant surprise.

8/10

High art this is not but anyone that expects high level stuff from a movie with this premise is not watching it with the right frame of mind. It’s a good old fashion feel good film with a message. Dare I say Capraesque? I wouldn't even classify this as a comedy. It’s a fantasy of goodwill film that induces plenty of smiles and packs heart. Kevin James is perfect in the lead and his common man qualities play extremely well here. They lean on the Rocky formula a lot but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. One thing is for sure, Salma Hayek is the hottest “Adrian” type love interest to ever play in this type of film. She’s amazing throughout. A warm shout out to Henry Winkler who is also perfectly cast as the somewhat eccentric music teacher with the heart of gold.

This is a pure throwback non-offensive family film that delivers the right amount of sentiment and feel good cheese if you're in the mood for that sort of thing.

[xseanymacx]

This looks awful. Glad you enjoyed it but this won't get a dime out of me.

[CuatroDiablos]

LOL..no.

[SpikeDurden]

It’s easy enough to lump the films of Kevin James in with the work of Adam Sandler. Both have starred together frequently and are clearly friends, however when that is the case Sandler’s tastes come to the forefront. When James is given the opportunity to star in his own film (even under the Happy Madison banner), he goes to great effort to set himself apart from Sandler. His films are not nearly as crude, gross, or mean spirited, and often have a lot of heart. None of them thus far were any good, but I always appreciated his efforts to make films that the whole family can enjoy. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of that nowadays. James is a classic everyman, effortlessly likable and he exudes a lot of warmth. Although overlong and featuring too many subplots, Here Comes the Boom finds a certain sweet spot that makes it a decent and enjoyable family picture.

A lot has been mentioned about how this basically looks like Warrior as a comedy, but let’s put that aside for a second. Surprisingly, this film is barely a comedy… and it doesn’t really try to be. There are some amusing and chuckle worthy moments, but Here Comes the Boom rather plays off like an earnest family drama. James, who wrote the screenplay alongside co-writer Allan Loeb, plays in broad strokes, focusing on the inspirational and dramatic elements of the story. In some cases, this works well. As a sports underdog story, Here Comes the Boom is actually enjoyable. James has gotten into pretty good shape and displays impressive physicality, and director Frank Coraci has shot and staged some surprisingly exciting and visceral fight sequences. Each time a new fight came up I was suddenly quite engaged with the film. Even though the film is rated PG the fights feel fairly real and feature enough blood and sweat to make you believe them. You can’t deny that with each new MMA film it continues to validate and mainstream the sport, and I think Boom does an even handed job of presenting the sport and its competitors with respect.

On the other hand, the film attempts to do too much. There are subplots involving a character attempting to get their American citizenship, a young student struggling with their Father, a painter who yearns to be a chef, etc. Here Comes the Boom wants to have its cake and eat it too. This makes the film feel overstuffed, and allows for a few too many silly supporting characters. Henry Winkler is as likable and winning as he’s been in some time and young Charice has a strong presence, but ex-fighter Bas Rutten, Kevin James staple Gary Valentine, and Reggie Lee are stuck with unfortunate and wasteful material. In the moments when it attempts to be a more standard silly comedy, Here Comes the Boom loses all of its goodwill. The film also attempts to be an inspirational teacher story on top of a sports underdog story, and that’s perhaps just one too many inspirational stories to tell in one movie. It becomes a bit groan worthy.

The good news is that those moments never overwhelm the picture. It may be a mishmash of previous stories, but James’ surprisingly physicality and likability keep the picture together. I appreciate a family film that doesn’t have to extend to crude jokes (save for one unfortunate vomit gag) or meanness but instead focuses on the strength and dedication of one man and how that can make a difference. I can only apply faint praise to Here Comes the Boom, but it features some strong fight scenes and feeling of warmth that I appreciated.

[psycheoutsteve]

Originally Posted by JoeChar4321

Preview Scene: http://videos.funwal.com/here-comes-...cated-shoulder

Directed by Frank Coraci

Written by Kevin James, Rock Reuben

Plot: A high school biology teacher looks to become a successful mixed-martial arts fighter in an effort to raise money to prevent extra-curricular activities from being axed at his cash-strapped school.

Starring: Kevin James, Salma Hayek and Henry Winkler

Rated PG

Runtime: 105 minutes

I wanted to go see Agro today but the show times couldn't line up for my schedule. So, I rolled my eyes and settled for this film. Maybe it was the fact I had VERY low expectations but I found this movie to be a very pleasant surprise.

8/10

High art this is not but anyone that expects high level stuff from a movie with this premise is not watching it with the right frame of mind. It’s a good old fashion feel good film with a message. Dare I say Capraesque? I wouldn't even classify this as a comedy. It’s a fantasy of goodwill film that induces plenty of smiles and packs heart. Kevin James is perfect in the lead and his common man qualities play extremely well here. They lean on the Rocky formula a lot but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. One thing is for sure, Salma Hayek is the hottest “Adrian” type love interest to ever play in this type of film. She’s amazing throughout. A warm shout out to Henry Winkler who is also perfectly cast as the somewhat eccentric music teacher with the heart of gold.

This is a pure throwback non-offensive family film that delivers the right amount of sentiment and feel good cheese if you're in the mood for that sort of thing.

Dear God, even if you couldn't make a single showing of Argo, what possessed you to spend your money on this movie?! I'm glad it ended up being a pleasant surprise for you, but seriously, most of the time it's better to save your 10 or eleven bucks than to see a Kevin James flick in the theater.