Rating of
3.5/4
'Here Comes the Boom' Movie Review
trophywife - wrote on 10/25/12
Would it be showing my age if I told you that seeing a movie where Henry Winkler plays a senior citizen music teacher took me a little bit by surprise, since my greatest memories of him are in a black leather jacket, uttering the word “Ayyyyy” ? Turns out, Mr. Winkler is just as fun and charming now as he was during my childhood.
THE GOOD: Scott Voss (played by the funny and talented Kevin James) is a former wrestler turned apathetic teacher at a high school that is undergoing budget cuts. When he learns that the job of his music teacher friend (Winkler) will be the first to go, he comes up with a plan to raise the needed money by moonlighting as a mixed martial arts fighter –well, why not? Along the way, the uninspired teacher begins to inspire others, including Bella, the school nurse (Salma Heyek), the lady Scott has repeatedly try to woo with very little effect.
I had my fears that the movie would be more corny than compelling, but I was surprised at the level of wit and charm it had. Kevin James is one of my favorite comedic actors, but he also has heart, and it really shows in this film. Also not to be missed is Niko (played by Bass Rutten) an immigrant who helps Scott train for the fights, and as previously mentioned, Henry Winkler (Marty Streb) is sweet, somewhat scatterbrained, and delightful.
THE BAD: The one flaw in this movie for me was a lack of development in Kevin James’ character. The movie starts out showing him as a teacher who could care less about inspiring his students, much less making sacrifices for anyone – yet within 10 minutes time, he is willing to risk serious bodily injury to protect programs and people. It didn’t quite ring true to me, but if you can over look the huge leap, the rest of the movie is a lot of fun.
THE UGLY: Last week, I reviewed a movie that included projectile vomiting, and I’ll be darned if vomit isn’t the topic again this week. In all fairness, the vomiting scene in this one is much tamer, but still….ewww. If that doesn’t bother you, there is always the “butt crack” view of the fat sweaty bald guy doing yoga to push you right over the edge. I suggest looking away from the screen when you start seeing people do downward dog.
‘Here Comes the Boom’ is a pretty rare accomplishment for today’s entertainment selections. You can feel comfortable taking your whole family to it, and it’s genuinely funny and heartwarming. I know you’re expecting me to end this with “It’s a knockout” or “It comes out swinging” but I’ll resist the urge to be clever and just call it like it is. This is a great movie with heart and inspiration, and you’ll walk out of the theater feeling better than when you went in.
The Trophy Wife gives this movie 4 trophies.
‘Here Comes the Boom’ has a running time of 1 hr and 45 min and is rated PG for some violence and minimal profanity.
