The Smashing Machine is a film for someone, but not me

by Julia Kelm

The Smashing Machine is a film starring Dwayne Johnson, directed by Benny Safdie, who may be recognized from his Oscar-nominated film Uncut Gems. The film follows the true story of the legendary mixed martial arts and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Mark Kerr.

In all honesty, I think the best part of seeing this film at The Minor Theater in Arcata was the Chicago-style hot dog they were serving. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot to say about this film. The plot is a raging bore, falling into the usual biopic tropes, and does nothing unexpected or interesting for the 2-hour runtime of the film. 

You can’t help but want to compare The Smashing Machine to Sean Durkin’s The Iron Claw, which is also a film that centers around a true story and professional fighting. Where The Smashing Machine fails and The Iron Claw succeeds is mainly to do with emotional value and a genuinely interesting and heartbreaking story. The Smashing Machine is boring based solely on the fact that Kerr’s life simply does not translate into the plot of a good film. 

With that said, I think Johnson does a fine job of portraying the retired UFC fighter. However, it’s hard to applaud him that much since he was a professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The viewer doesn’t need to stretch their imagination far to believe The Rock can fight. 

I think the only thing I liked about this film was Emily Blunt’s performance as Dawn Staples, Kerr’s unstable girlfriend. Maybe I haven’t seen enough Blunt films, but I’m sort of used to Blunt playing the type A, mundane, motherly characters — it was a pleasant change of scenery to see her get a little crazy. 

I am aware that I am dragging this film through the mud right now, but I do think there’s a specific crowd for this film. I’ll list off a few reasons why you might want to see this film.

If you’re interested in the story of an athlete’s fall from greatness and dealing with loss, you may want to see this film.

 That perspective was brought to my attention by my sister, who participates in the women’s rowing team at Cal Poly Humboldt. Although she also found the film lackluster, it was relatable. There’s a part in the film where Kerr, after losing a fight, seems to keep it together with a stern face. However, once he is alone in the locker room, he breaks down and sobs. This is likely a relatable feeling to many athletes after training and putting so much energy into something just to fail. 

I also think this movie would be a good one to see with your dad. I can think of countless nights where I’m back at home with my dad, playing the painful game of, ‘What are we going to watch tonight?’ It’s either something I like: film-bro shit. Or something my dad likes: an old man shoots a gun. Both parties are never satisfied in this situation. I think Smashing Machine provides a safe middle ground for this specific situation.

I wouldn’t personally waste money seeing this in a theater, unless either of those previously stated reasons applies to you specifically. This movie will be forgotten in a few months, unless it gets nominated for an Oscar. If that’s the case, you’ll be hearing one long sigh from me in the future.

Julia is a journalism major, and is the life and arts editor for the paper. She loves film and is a regular on Letterboxd. She also enjoys going on walks in the forest, and taking pictures to relax. If you have a movie you want her to review, email her at jk328@humboldt.edu.