Their bickering scenes together are amusing enough as they play out their ancient feud.Īn older guy, Alan Arkin, goes through his schlep one more time as Sly’s trainer, Louis ‘Lightning’ Conlon. The two old guys are worth the price of admission, or at least their hard work and sweat is. Now, there are plenty of funny lines in Grudge Match, goodish performances too, and it has a warm, if sentimental heart. It’s one thing seeing their old, wrinkly faces in huge close-up but it’s another seeing their old, wrinkly bodies too.

It’s not nice, seemly or comfortable or entertaining. De Niro and old Stallone bashing hell out of each other. As long as the script doesn’t actually get them to fight at the climax. (You’d have though they’d have come up with wittier, fancier names, but let’s let that pass).įine, plenty of chance for comedy, laughs and poignant moments in that scenario there. Grudge Match starts with a passably good idea, casting the star of raging Bull with the star of Rocky as a pair of aged, retired old boxing rivals coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout 30 years after their last match. Stallone is Henry ‘Razor’ Sharp, De Niro is Billy ‘The Kid’ McDonnen.

Here we go again with the script problem. But they can spit out any good gags or one-liners sent their way like they’re, say Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.

They may be the fittest pensioners ever, but they’re old to be playing action. Both of them, however, have learned a lot of comedy skills along the years, despite not being essentially funny blokes, certainly not comedians. Somehow, they’ve managed to keep themselves current as well as being revered icons of the movies.įinding decent vehicles for them is more difficult, of course.

Robert De Niro is 71 and Sylvester Stallone a mere stripling at 67. In any other business, they’d have been retired, but in the showbusiness they’re about the busiest folks around. Grudge Match ** (2013, Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Kim Basinger, Alan Arkin, Jon Bernthal, Kevin Hart) – Movie Review

Robert de niro old boxing movie