wrestling | Eavesdropping at the Movies

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Mike isn’t impressed with The Rock’s attempt to take on a dramatic role in an intimate biopic after decades of popcorn blockbusters, seeing it as Oscar bait. José doesn’t share his cynicism and likes the lead performance. We discuss what The Smashing Machine depicts – disagreeing, in particular, about whether the protagonist shares any blame for the issues in his relationship – as well as whether its look and storytelling are problems, and just how shoddy things are getting at Cineworld. Yet we keep going back.

With José Arroyo of First Impressions and Michael Glass of Writing About Film.

A young girl from a tight-knit family in Norwich gets a shot at her dream, joining the WWE, the glamorous home of professional wrestling. Parental pride, sibling rivalry, and a lot of hard work ensues, as do great performances generating a lot of laughs. We’re not that keen on some of the clichés – very little happens that you wouldn’t expect, and some of the scenes take a long time to get there – but we like the male-female rivalry, the way Vince Vaughn and Nick Frost light up the screen, and of course, the fact that a big promotional corporate movie for Americans starts off in a tiny living room in Norwich.

The podcast can be listened to in the players above or on iTunes.

With José Arroyo of First Impressions and Michael Glass of Writing About Film.

Eavesdropping at the Movies

Tag Archives: wrestling

460 – The Smashing Machine

140 – Fighting with My Family