The Hammer

I rented this last night from Blockbuster, upon reading the comments on IMDb. I had been eyeing it on my past few visits, and finally decided to give it a shot. Yep, it was good, and I was not surprised. Adam Corolla is a smart man, he came up with a decent story and had somebody write a decent script for it. While I'm not a huge fan, I like his deadpan humor quite a bit, and he uses it to full effect in his movie. He doesn't play a character he essentially is himself, and it works, he doesn't try to act himself into something he's not. What I was surprised about is his athletic agility, I didn't realize he was so athletic, or did he have stand ins? I'll give it a second watch and pay more attention to that. All in all, nice simple story, no special effects, just a good low budget movie about human beings and a somewhat surprising ending that I won't spoil. Not that it is in my top ten movies of all time, but maybe my recent top ten. Go ahead, give it a watch and enjoy it. I did. Sometimes simplicity is the best policy, I hope Adam will do another one and keep it simple again...

Adam Carolla is one of those guys you either really like, or really hate. There doesn't quite seem to have been an in-between opinion about him since he rose to national fame as co-host of "The Man Show" in 1999. I've heard a lot of bad things about him, and I haven't been the biggest fan of his myself.

That being said, however, I never would have expected him to write and star in a very smart comedy with a surprising amount of heart to it. After all, you initially think this movie is a rags to riches story about a blue collar worker who finds he can actually make it as a professional boxer. Carolla appears to have taken that now-cliché premise and turn it right on its head in a good way.

So why is this movie great? Why does it deserve 8 out of 10 stars? My answer: it's just very enjoyable to watch, and it has some somewhat unpredictable turns amidst the very clever one-liners from Carolla. Some of Carolla's lines I'm still laughing at even after seeing the movie last night. One of Carolla's best moments is when he gets pulled over by a cop. The rant that follows is just hilarious.

With all the laughs, this story has a heart that fits in pretty well, and doesn't make the movie too schmaltzy or cheesy. Of course, a movie about boxing wouldn't be complete without a climactic fight in the end, and this movie indeed has one. Without giving too much away, the way that fight ends is quite unexpected, especially coming from Carolla, but it was so sincere an ending that it ended the movie in a very satisfactory way.

I probably used the word "surprising" a lot in this review, but that's for good reason. It's a good thing when a movie comes along that you have low expectations for, and it just blows you away with its creativity and originality, especially given its premise. After all, you can go so far with a movie about sports. Take Burt Reynolds, for example. His most recent sports romp, "Cloud 9", began with a great premise, but ended up just as cliché as most other sports movies. This coming from the actor (and producer) who brought us "The Longest Yard" too.

My biggest grievance about this movie comes not from its content, but from the Motion Picture Association of America for rating this movie R. This was the biggest misfire on the MPAA ever. This movie had one use of the F-word, no lethal violence, no explicit sexual content, and no suggestive themes. It should have been rated PG-13, period. This movie could be the prime example of the MPAA's inefficiency and inaccuracy, and it's a shame that low-budget gems like this movie have to suffer for it.

As for Adam Carolla, though, his stock went way up in my book after seeing this movie. As soon as it comes out on DVD, I'm buying it for sure.

One liners galore, but what else would you expect from Adam Carolla he's like the king of one liners. So many times in this film another character says something and you can just feel a one liner coming and bam there it is, and for the most part it's hilarious. Especially a scene at the La brea Tar Pits, the hits just kept on coming line after line just kept getting funnier and funnier, I do wish that more of the film would have let Adam loose like that. Even though those moments are the highlights of the film that is not all there is to it, it has a unique story with dare I say a message and a believable bond between it's characters. Carolla could have easily have delivered his lines and just delivered a standard comedic performance and left it at that, but in some ways he really develops a great character who is unique and multifaceted. OK, maybe that's a little too generous but he does do a good job as does his supporting cast. Yes it's a simple film, yes it's a simple plot, but some times it's the characters from those simple stories that we can relate to the best.

"The Hammer" starring Adam Carolla is a sentimental and sweet story of reclaiming one's greatness. Directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld, "The Hammer" plays like an independent film, mostly because it is. Kevin Hench wrote the screenplay for "The Hammer" from a story by Adam Carolla. Consequently, the movie has an autobiographical feel. Before Carolla became a morning talk-radio star or host of "Loveline" with Dr. Drew, he was a carpenter and boxing instructor. In fact he was Jimmy Kimmel's boxing coach. In "The Hammer" Adam Carolla plays 40 year-old Jerry Ferro, a journeyman carpenter, who works odd construction jobs around Los Angeles County. His good buddy is barely understandable Nicaraguan immigrant Oswaldo (Oswaldo Castillo), and his partner in construction. Jerry also teaches boxing at a local sports club.

One day after being fired from his job, Jerry spars an up and coming professional boxer as a favor. Jerry takes a beating, but drops the fighter with a solid left. This catches the attention of Coach Eddie Bell (Tom Quin). Bell enrolls Jerry into trying out for the Olympic Boxing Team, through regional competition. 20 years ago, Jerry walked away from a shot at the Olympic Team as a promising young amateur. So now at 40 years-old and fired from his job this may be Jerry's last shot. However, it marks the end of his relationship with suffering girlfriend Nicole (Constance Zimmer). Jerry finds out that he is contending for the light-heavyweight spot against young talented Robert Brown (brash Harold House Moore). Robert has a bright career in front of himself, while Jerry struggles to recapture the greatness of his youth. But Jerry is smart and has great heart. Also Bell's intentions are not entirely transparent.

Things begin to look up. Jerry musters up the courage to ask cute and smart Lindsay (sweet and charming Heather Juergensen) from his boxing class to go out on a date. Swamped public defender Lindsay agrees to a "day" date. Jerry and Lindsay spend a hilarious day at the La Brea Tar Pits. Carolla and Juergensen have a hysterical and natural chemistry. A perfect foil to Jerry's smart ass, Lindsay is solid and unflinching. There is a touching and funny scene when Lindsay kisses Jerry good night. She would have sex with Jerry, but Jerry has a big fight coming up and she doesn't want to "deplete" his chi. Their relationship is a touching surprise in "The Hammer".

Okay, "The Hammer" has formulaic "Rocky" charm and predictability. You have the requisite cathartic fight scene. However, it is its quirkiness and engaging natural banter that makes "The Hammer" so bitter sweet and heart felt. Adam Carolla has an easy and natural charm. He is great at embodying the smart ass and gentle soul of Jerry. As Lindsay, Heather Juergensen is the amazing combination of goofy and sexy. As Lindsay she plays it very smart, just flying under the radar. Like Carolla, she has an easy and comfortable presence. Harold House Moore is funny and charismatic as Robert. Moore also brings a refreshing humanity to the role.

"The Hammer" is sentimental, strangely comfortable, and refreshing. We all pull for Adam Carolla's Jerry as he hysterically and courageously reclaims his vestige of greatness. See "The Hammer". You'll be surprised and charmed.

As one would expect from an Adam Corolla movie, there are plenty of the rapier witticisms he is known for, and there is a solid laugh-out-loud every few minutes for the duration. But, more importantly, the story is a really sweet, engaging and uplifting tale of a middle aged slacker who takes one last shot at achieving his dreams, or at least realizing what they are. It was truly beautiful, in the way he comes to embrace his life and mission. Also, credit to Adam's heavily-accented Nicaraguan friend Ozzie as his sidekick, the duo has something of a Don Quixote-Sancho Panza feel to it, which works very well. I'm an AC fan, but my wife is not, and she loved it as well. This might be the best "small movie" I've ever seen.