Grudge Match (2013)

A pair of aging boxing rivals are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout, thirty years after their last match.

Director:

Peter Segal

Writers:

Tim Kelleher (screenplay), Rodney Rothman (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Kim Basinger

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Lampley	...	Himself
Sylvester Stallone	...	Henry 'Razor' Sharp
Robert De Niro	...	Billy 'The Kid' McDonnen
Rich Little	...	Boxing Announcer (voice)
Ireland Baldwin	...	Young Sally (as Ireland Basinger Baldwin)
Anthony Bean	...	Dante Slate, Sr.
Mason Mackie	...	Young Dante
Kevin Hart	...	Dante Slate, Jr.
Barry Primus	...	Joey the Bartender
Oscar Gale	...	Shipyard Co-Worker
Frederick Douglas Plunkett Jr.	...	Walter
BJ Guyer	...	Jabby the Puppet
Jen Kober	...	Tough Female Customer
Anthony Anderson	...	Mr. Sandpaper Hands
Carrie Lazar	...	Nora

Storyline

Henry "Razor" Sharp and Billy "The Kid" McDonnen are two boxers who thirty years ago were rivals. Just before a big match Razor decides to retire because Billy slept with his girlfriend, Sally Rose and got her pregnant. Today a promoter, Dante Slate wants to have them fight each other but Razor doesn't want to. But when he loses his job and learns he's broke, he has no choice. So he trains under his old trainer. Billy while training, meets B.J., the son he had with Sally Rose and he asks B.J. to train him. And Sally Rose tries to get Razor to forgive her but he can't.

---

Plot Keywords:

woman | united states of america | usa | father son relationship | car | 

---

Taglines:

Never give up the fight.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sports action violence, sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ajuste de Cuentas

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,310,000, 27 December 2013, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$29,807,260

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$44,907,260

Company Credits

Production Co:

Callahan Filmworks,Gerber Pictures,RatPac-Dune Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although Rich Little is billed as simply boxing announcer, he is clearly imitating iconic sportscaster Howard Cosell and his famous "Down goes Frazier!" call from the Joe Frazier-George Foreman fight.

---

Goofs

When Razor and The Kid are singing the National Anthem at the monster truck rally, there is a Winn Dixie sign seen in the stadium. Winn Dixie is only in the southeast, not Pittsburgh.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Jim Lampley: Hello again, everybody, I'm Jim Lampley. Certain athletes are born enemies. Bird and Magic. Ali and Frazier. Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. But the fiercest rivalry was be between two fighters from Pittsburgh with the names Razor and Kid.

---

Crazy Credits

There are two scenes in the closing credits: Razor, Lightning and Slate watch Kid perform on Dancing with the Stars (2005), and later Slate arranges a rematch between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.

---

Connections

Referenced in Late Show with David Letterman: Sylvester Stallone/Anna Faris/Deltron 3030 (2013)

---

Soundtracks

I'm Shipping Up To Boston
Written by Al Barr, James Lynch, Ken Casey (as Kenneth Casey), Marc Orrell, Matthew Kelly (as Mathew Kelly) and Woody Guthrie
Performed by Dropkick Murphys
Courtesy of Born & Bred Records
By arrangement with Rhino Independent/ADA Licensing, a division of Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Rocky Light

Sylvester Stallone must really love boxing. After returning to the Rocky films this past decade, he once again enters the ring in Grudge Match. But the smart thing here is that he's kind of poking fun at himself. Instead of trying to play a younger boxer which wouldn't be realistic anymore at his age, he plays a retired boxer who really is old this time around.

The story focuses on a rivalry between two boxers who fought each other a couple of times 30 years ago, winning one fight apiece. Naturally, that situation calls for a "rubber match" to decide the true winner. But it never happened. Hostility remains between the two guys 3 decades later though. Stallone plays Henry "Razor" Sharp and Robert De Niro plays Billy "The Kid" McDonnen. When the two both arrive on set for a computer-simulated video game that will use their likenesses, they engage in a physical altercation which soon goes viral for all the world to see. This prompts a desire to see the two of them in the ring together once again.

Kevin Hart plays the loud-mouth promoter who puts the fight on. He plays the same type of character he always plays, but still very funny nonetheless. The same goes for a funny Alan Arkin as Stallone's trainer who also plays the same type of character that he always does. So there's nothing truly unique about the movie, but it doesn't take itself too seriously and that's kind of a good thing. It focuses on the funny for the most part, but also adds some depth to the characters when it shows the struggles they're having in their personal lives. That's part of the reason they agree to do the fight... along with a genuine grudge the two still have between each other after all these years. Some of the jokes can be lame at times, but there are some good zingers here and there when seeing the two old guys poke fun at each other. And the fight at the end of the film is done well and worth waiting for.