When I first heard of the concept for this film, I thought that the whole "Rocky vs. Raging Bull" angle was interesting. When I saw the trailer for it, I thought that it looked like a comedy with a healthy dose of heart. When I saw the movie itself...I realized it was an "idea" picture surrounded by filler.For a basic plot summary, "Grudge Match" tells the two of two rival boxers who each beat the other one time, setting up what was to be a hugely popular "rubber match". Before the fight could take place, however, Henry "Razor" Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) walked away from the sport, leaving Billy "The Kid" McDonnen (Robert De Niro) to stew over what could have been. Thirty years later, both fighters meet up again at a motion-capture exercise for a new video game coming out. They still have as much vitriol and hatred for each other as before, and thus the rivalry is rekindled. When the prospect of a huge $$$ purse is dangled before their eyes, they agree to step in the ring one final time to settle the score once and for all.The trouble with this movie is two-fold:First, Stallone has never achieved any comedic success (besides perhaps "Avenging Angelo", but that wasn't supposed to even BE a comedy)...period! When it comes to the comedy of this film, De Niro runs circles around Stallone. Since they both share about equal screen time, the Sly comedy scenes get a bit tough to stomach. Plus, as usual, Kevin Hart's brand of comedy is very much an acquired taste (one that this reviewer hasn't come around to).Secondly, even the best of comedy movies have to contain some heart or "meat" behind them, and "Grudge Match" fails miserably in that department. The backstory involving Kim Basinger's character just isn't interesting enough to make you care about what should be the emotional punch of the movie.Granted, there are some positives to this film (hence the 2 stars instead of just a single). Some jokes (especially for those intimately familiar with Stallone and De Niro's past works) are laugh- out-loud funny, while the end fight scene is probably the best part of the entire movie (where Stallone really gets to shine).However, it is quite clear that the "Rocky vs Raging Bull" concept is what fueled this movie, and that just wasn't enough to carry a two-hour film. "Grudge Match" isn't terrible, but I have absolutely no desire to watch it again, either.

Continuing my plan to watch every Sly movie in order, I come to Grudge Match.Plot In A Paragraph: A pair of aging boxing rivals are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout. 30 years after their last match.Not funny enough to be a comedy, and not dramatic enough to be drama, it falls somewhere in between. Sly and De Niro both have a twinkle in their eyes, and there is certainly a certain charm to the movie. But at times it just feels flat, and Kim Basinger lacks any real chemistry with the two leads. Alan Arkin has some good lines, and Kevin Hart puts in his usual enthusiastic performance. Jon Bernthal (who I enjoyed in The Walking Dead) is fine too!! Grossing $29 million domestically, Grudge Match ended up as the 92nd highest grossing movie of the year.

Grudge Match is a great movie with a well developed plot and a terrific comedic cast. It a very fun movie in which we see Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro prepare to fight each other in a boxing ring, we get to see the emotion and stress they go through in order to get in shape. The character development is showcased tremendously, as we are given a feel for everyone's relationship with one another. However, I did feel there was far too many clichés that sometimes threw me off, you could tell what was going to happen to certain characters and how the plot was going to develop from a mile away, it does little to surprise its audience. The cast shines and, despite it being a comedy, they are all given strong roles that gave them very much to do, De Niro brings in class, Stallone has still got the macho attitude, Kim Basinger has vulnerability, Jon Bernthal adds to the tension, Alan Arkin adds to both the comedy, as well as drama, and Kevin Hart simply brings in huge laughs in all his scenes. Very enjoyable, albeit somewhat predictable, Grudge Match is worth the watch and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good comedy or sports film. Two senior boxing champions decide to come back for one last fight. Best Performance: Robert De Niro

*Spoiler/plot- Grudge Match, 2013. Two up and coming fighters in the same weight class hold a vendetta between them over a girl and the boxing title's belt. Many years later, they come back to clear the record.*Special Stars- Sly Stallone, Robert De Niro, Kim Basinger, Ireland Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Jon Bernthal.*Theme- Give your best and you don't have to regret the outcome.*Trivia/location/goofs- Canadian, Most people think this film was a Sylvester Stallone project, but according to Robert De Niro he got the script first and quickly came to the conclusion that Stallone would be the best choice to play his opponent. Stallone himself was actually quite reluctant to do the film at first, as he did not want to parody Rocky (1976) and De Niro had to talk him into it. Stallone himself claimed that he had a harder than usual time training for the role since he was taking a break from action roles and had stopped working out.*Emotion- This film is a clever plot and has a 'heart'. Both leads play the full depth of emotions for their role. No doubt their film careers gave them plenty of experience. Not sure how much acting was involved here. A good film to see and experience.*Based on- Lossely based on DiNiro's and Stallone's major fight film career moves and loses.