User reviews

The Bronze

Low budget comedy that gets overlooked. Check. Amazing dialogue that will make your grandma be tickled pink. Check. Amazing acting from under-appreciated actors. Check. The Bronze is about a former medalist who has to struggle with no longer being in the limelight. The opening scene in the film is by far the most interesting way to introduce a character I've seen in a long time.

Melissa Rauch plays Hope. The extremely crass gymnast who doesn't care what she says but truly cares what people think of her. The first time I heard her voice I immediately thought of Bernadette Rostenkowski from Big Bang Theory, but then as she spoke more and she transformed into Hope.

Gary Cole plays another father figure. You might remember him from Reese Bobby from Talladega Nights or as Bill Lumbergh from Office Space. He's has a great character who just wants to make his daughter happy but at the same time be a responsible father.

Sebastian Stan plays Bucky Barns, no wait that's who he plays in Captain America, Stan plays Lance. Hope doesn't like most people, so when I say she hates Lance, it means something. He was a silver and gold medalist and took something very important to Hope when she was younger.

Haley Lu Richardson is excellent as an up and coming gymnast. This was the first time I've really seen her act. That being said I'm excited to see her in M. Night Shyamalan's Split coming out in 2017.

Verdict: I wouldn't recommend this to someone whose easily offended. If you've got the skin for it, I can't recommend this comedy more.

In some ways, "The Bronze" is so entertaining because Melissa Rauch is playing someone in diametric opposition to her mousy character on "The Big Bang Theory". Hope Gregory is the sort of Olympics washout that's fun to laugh at; a foul-mouthed brat who trades in her local celebrity for free stuff at the mall. Rauch really plays the Midwestern accent to the hilt, and it pairs very nicely with the coarse dialogue.

Somewhere in all of this is a sports movie, but that's not where it excels. This character ends up right back where she started, and it works great as an exaggerated portrait of a has-been in a no-name town. This flew completely under my radar, and I was surprised (happily) by how enjoyable it was.

She's very funny.

7/10

Really good watch, would watch again, and can recommend.

Finally a movie that proves that Melissa Rauch was the hot one on "Big Bang Theory".

Melissa Rauch carries this one, above and beyond, and she shows her range into dirt comedy and psychological drama without batting an eye, like a champ.

The "angry jerk" routine gets old pretty fast, but it shifts throughout the movie so it's not unbearable, and for every ounce Raunch gives, Haley Lu Richardson comes back with "happy idiot" and it's a wonderful juxtaposition.

Special mention to Sebastian Stan for helping Melissa Rauch with one of the most amazing sex scenes I've ever seen, and it's not even about it being dirty. It was as beautiful and funny as it was sexy.

The movie is funny, but it does feel as if you're laughing in spite of the movie, and its a special kind of dark humor.

As someone who has actually seen this movie and liked it, I feel a responsibility in taking it under my wing to protect it from some of the unfair criticism it's received. I think some people don't want Melissa Rausch to succeed because she's already a wildly popular TV star and they are punishing her. Some people are actually delighted that it's doing poorly at the box office.

I don't say this movie is a 10 (how many movies are) but its certainly enjoyable and original. While you can label it a comedy,it's more appreciated as a character study of Hope Greggory, a former bronze medal gymnast who had to cut her career short due to an injury and has put her life on hold ever since. I'm sorry if this has turned into more of a rant instead of a review but I'm just not understanding why it's being panned when this is a pretty good movie. Melissa is very talented and versatile and has a great career ahead of her after Big Bang Theory.

If you like dark comedies this is a good one to watch.

It has one of the weirdest sex scenes ever, and usually I skip those.

If you like I, Tonya you will like this movie too.

I found this movie to be very good. It was funny, was not expecting too much but am a Melissa Rauch fan. My wife and I were pleasantly surprised. Her foulmouth was out of character from Big Bang but was a classic spoiled brat turning human with a wealth of antics. I am shocked at how poorly it did at the box office. Certainly was much better than the opening numbers showed. Well worth a look. The cast of characters is well chosen and Melissa plays the part well. The dirty humor is very good and timing is great.

The story is something out of the ordinary for a comedy movie line and the hotel scene certainly pushes the envelope. It all reeks of a Tonya Harding experience and is portrayed very well. Don't expect Gone with the Wind and you will be pleasantly surprised.

When the movie started and I saw it was a Duplass brothers production, I almost turned it off immediately, and I should have. The only reason I didn't is because I'd been wanting to see this movie for several years. So I went into this really wanting to like it. In the first quarter of this movie, I was planning on giving this 4-6 stars, but as it went on, it got harder and harder to sit through.

First of all, it's made clear throughout the film that Hope is supposed to be Kerri Strug. I wouldn't mind this at all if Hope was more likeable. But she's awful - narcissistic, spoiled, mean, a cheater - and she never redeems herself. That just seems cruel. Even I, Tonya made Tonya Harding seem likeable. What did Kerri Strug ever do?

The characters are annoying and flat and never grow at all. They all feel like they're just caricatures. I mean, Maggie, the young gymnast, is so over-the-top optimistic and ditzy that it makes me want to buy a copy of this movie just so I can throw it out a window.

Melissa Rauch's accent is so weird. I'm not sure if she was trying to do a southern accent or not, but she just sounded like she was straining the whole time. And Middleditch's accent isn't much better. Speaking of the actors, why was Cecily Strong cast as Maggie's mom? She's way too young. She's four years younger than Melissa Rauch. When she was introduced, I expected her to say she was a stepmom or something, but nope. We're just supposed to be on board without question.

I could be wrong, but I honestly feel like this movie would have even worse reviews if Sebastian Stan wasn't in it. His Bucky fanbase loves anything he does. But, to be fair, he's the best thing in this film.

Miracle on Ice used to be my favorite Olympic film, but this film tops it. It is far funnier; laugh out loud funnier. And even though it is obviously fictional, it really captures the ridiculousness of Olympic sideshows and how American female athletes are supposed to "behave". I know almost nothing about women's gymnastics, but the film had a real sense of satirical humor to me. All the cutesy crap that Hope teaches her protege seemed right on the money. Her training tactics looked pretty good as well; like keeping one's legs together when landing. That adds authenticity to the film's background. Many of these athletes also happen to be human beings, and humans have weaknesses. They curse, drink, like sex, and have egos; who doesn't? They are human. That is what makes the film so good. We are looking at a flawed human being who rose to the occasion once, and is trying to rise to the occasion a second time. Ms. Rauch reminded me of Little Miss Firecracker (Holly Hunter), but with no holds barred. The film was well written, had excellent performances from the supporting cast, and Bryan Buckley does a nice job of directing. I liked Raunch's (I mean Rauch's) style. Looking forward to seeing her in more comedic roles.

...this is still a pretty bad film.

I hate to bash a low-budget indie flick like this, because it's obvious everyone in the cast is trying their best... It's just not funny.

I'm not a fan of 'Big Bang Theory' so I have no familiarity with the lead actress, but it's clear she was going for a Danny McBride-esque tone for the main character. Unfortunately, NOTHING about this character comes off as lovable, or even likable, so there's not a single moment in the film in which you root for her. This is a fundamental problem in storytelling that is forgivable in most "wacky" comedies (because, honestly, who *really* cares about character in that genre?) IF they managed to disguise the problem with hilarious set pieces. This movie didn't. The "raunchy" jokes felt awkward/out of place and most just fell completely flat.

It just wasn't funny.

I'm not surprised at all this didn't find an audience. I'm sure it'll perform better on DVD, but even then I can't recommend it.

"I had no control of what people talk about. Take that up with the God of gymnastics." Hope (Rauch) is the darling of her little town after winning bronze in the 1984 Olympics. Since that time she has made a living just being her and making sure everyone knows who she is. When her former coach dies she is asked to train America's greatest hope at a gold, Maggie (Richardson). Hope must now make a choice, train her to be better than she was, or give up the chance to collect $500,000. This is a hilarious movie, just flat out hilarious. Offensive, over the top and so laugh out loud funny that I had to rewind this a few times to catch the jokes I was missing. Rauch is incredible in this and almost everything she says is comedy gold. If you offend easy this is a movie you should probably avoid, but if you are a fan of R rated comedies this is one of the best ones I have seen in a long time. This is the type of movie I could watch over and over and still laugh every time. Overall, not a movie that will win awards but much like Idiocracy and Office Space its a movie with tremendous re-watchability and quotable lines that you will be saying over and over. I loved this and easily give this an A.

The Bronze: An appealing comedy looking at a part of America only seen in Dan Bell's Dead Mall videos and during political campaigns about "Real America" . Gary Cole gives the standout performance as the put on dad sporting a Tom Skerritt mustache and the rest of the cast redeems themselves well. The film does bite off a bit more than it can chew trying to replicate two separate Olympic games and missing some easy targets involving NBC style coverage of same.

Some might find the main character abrasive beyond redemption but the movie sells that redemption arc adequately. An overall fun film with some good laughs.

I did not enjoy "The Bronze", though the premise sounded very promising and the film could have worked. The main character, Hope (Melissa Rauch) was thoroughly despicable--super-crude, nasty, self-absorbed and without redeeming qualities. And, this tended to make the film a very one-note sort of viewing experience...something that wouldn't have happened had the film either been a short or if there was more to the movie than that. As it is, it's a hard movie to like or even enjoy.

Hope is a woman who won a Bronze medal back in 2004. Since then, she's done nothing with her life and she spends her time feeling sorry for herself, stealing, masturbating, doing drugs, treating everyone around her like dirt as well as living as if the world owes her. When her old coach kills herself, Hope is given a chance to do something with her life....to coach a young gymnastic hopeful to glory. However, at first, Hope just wants to destroy her new charge and gets her using drugs, overeating and making a mess of herself. Later, very inexplicably, she kinds of takes her job seriously....and becomes nice, sort of. What's to come of all this? And, more importantly, does anyone even care or does this make any sense?

When I read the reviews for this film, I was very surprised that most seemed reasonably positive and the film has an overall score of 5.9....not good but certainly not terrible. Well, I thought the film was rather terrible...mostly because Hope was so unremittingly awful and unlikable...and this went on and on and on. The woman is ONLY a jerk and her language would make Joe Pesci's character in "Good Fellas" blush. Crudeness and nastiness alone do not make a good comedy--especially after the novelty of it all quickly wears off. And, for me, it wore off very quickly and the film repeatedly comes CLOSE to being funny but almost never does it connect.

By the way, despite my strongly disliking the film and how crude it was, oddly, the funniest moment was the dirtiest--with one of the funniest and most acrobatic sex scenes in film history. I say watch that scene and ignore the rest. Also, if you want to see a similar sort of sports comedy that works, try "Blades of Glory".

"I'm not a coach—I'm a star!" Hope (Melissa Rauch)

The Bronze is not a comedy—it's a dreary drama! A has-been bronze 2004 Olympic medalist, Hope, can't get over her misfortune of pulling an Achilles heel in that 2004 competition and thus aborting her future plans for gold. I suppose her bitter personality, verbally abusing everyone in her path, could qualify for dark comedy, but Billy Bob's Bad Santa she's not, certainly not Fargo or Shaun of the Dead.

When Hope is spitting invective on everyone, Hope has a Midwestern twang truly annoying and crying out for a coach. Beside that irritation, Ms. Rauch and her husband, Winston, have few if any lines worth the comic designation. Humorous in its own way is love interest Ben's (Thomas Middleditch) constant twitching, but even that endearing affliction gets old soon. Gary Cole playing her dad is a pro as a weak father trying to balance out his beloved daughter emotionally while she continues to abuse him verbally.

So you ask what's good besides Gary Cole? Well, Hope's transformation into a semi-civilized person comes as she's forced to coach sweet Olympic hopeful, Maggie (Haley Lu Richardson), a rival for the small-town Ohio's worship of Hope's Bronze achievement. Hope is much more likable as a coach than a former athlete, and some of those coach scenes are believable.

Also noteworthy is the production design, especially Hope's room filled with tacky trophies and teddy bears, attesting to this film's greatest achievement—a story of arrested development with little hope that Hope will be a model citizen. After all, it takes some moral fiber to disavow casual sex and mail theft for their cheap acquisition.

Her last scene, however, promises a transformation we get too little of during our time with her .

Although the main character is one of those characters you immediately hate and wish something really bad happens to, you kinda grow into it and start to find it very entertaining to watch. Melissa Rauch (actress and writer in The Bronze) did a great job playing her foul-mouthed character. Something totally different than that girl she plays in The Big Bang Theory. Not that I know her from that show as I find it incredibly irritating to watch, but we've all seen a glimpse of it while zapping as it seems to be on television forever. The cast in The Bronze is rather small but they all did well. The nude sex scene between the two gymnasts was to me the best scene from this movie, very funny and acrobatical, to say the least. Actually one of the better sex scenes ever in a comedy. Gymnastics, not really the sport I enjoy to watch in real, but in this movie it was certainly amuzing. But if you're into gymnastics I would certainly give this one a go.

Surprised to see how the film was received. I mean it was not based on the real or something, the film was not bad either. A decent story and performances, but partially an inspiring theme. You know, of course, in the sports its about winning the medals, only till certain stage, then the time comes to end our journey for various reasons. But still there are other ways to use our gifts like on coaching and encouraging the young talents. That's what this film is about, and I enjoyed watching it.

The highlight was it looks some kind of a biographical film, but as I said it's not. I think the screenplay was well written, but pretty predictable story, especially the romance parts were outdated. The sport section was quite refreshing. The jokes were the okay type. The sex scene was awesome. It might be a little overdone, but well composed gymnastic poses. I liked the father-daughter sentiment. It was not emotional with great dialogues, but still a father fighting for his daughter to stand on her own feet was really good to see.

It is a chick flick, so both the lead girls were excellent. Pretty much impressive gymnastic stunts. Obviously the stunt double used for some of those parts. Had a good runtime and shot in wonderful places. A small budget film that shot within a month of time, but a great production quality. Entertaining film, but disappointment is it did not do well as expected at the box office. It is not a greatest sports film of all time, but I think there's no harm watching it once, you will realise that after giving it a try.

7/10

I was not expecting much so I got a little more than I was bargaining for. It's not the best comedy that I've ever seen, but it's a pretty decent sports movie.

Very grounded in reality, The Bronze is about a gymnast still living off the moment she took the Bronze in the 2004 Olympics who is forced to train another gymnast from her hometown going for the gold.

Definitely amusing to watch Melissa Rauch (who I just realizes is one of the girls on The Big Bang Theory) as Hope, whose sad existence made for some laughable moments as she attempts to sabotage the promising career of Maggie, a bright eyed gold medal contender who worships the ground Hope walks on. I thought Haley Lu Richardson performance as Maggie was a definite highlight to a movie that did not have much going as far as real interesting characters.

It's not laugh out loud funny but it has some enjoyable moments. It does work as a sports movie with a more down to Earth summary of overcoming obstacles to be a winner and what happens when that moment is over.

Something to watch on the whim if you see on Netflix or something.

It seems some, or rather many, reviewers here have not quite understood the meaning of the movie, and misjudged its tone.

I almost did not watch it because of the bad reviews, actually.

But I'm glad I did!

This movie is about a gymnast stuck in her past, having become mean, bitter and hopeless (pun intended).

After her old coach kills herself, she embarks on a journey back to herself, coaching a promising young gymnast.

Melissa Rauch is great, and so are all the other actors. If you expect crazy stuff, go watch "Blades of Glory" instead.

This is an earnest film despite some hilarious moments (yes, the sex scene, for example, probably the weirdest in film history).

It is not mean-spirited at all. It's just portraying someone who has forgotten how to be a nice person.

It won't win gold, but it's a solid Bronze (7/10) and a memorable watch.

July 23, 1996. Atlanta, Georgia. The Women's Gymnastics Team Finals. The American women had never won team gold. They were, however, slightly ahead of the Russian team heading into the last rotation in the team competition. American gymnast Dominique Moceanu failed to stick the landing on either of her vault attempts. Then, her teammate Kerri Strug also fell – and injured her ankle. With the Russians performing in the floor exercise event at the same time, the competition between the two teams was so close that the American women's coach, Béla Károlyi, told Strug that they needed her to make her second vault to secure the gold medal. Strug limped to the start of her approach, then she sprinted down the mat, sprung over the vault and… stuck the landing! Strug then began hopping on her good leg as she saluted the judges before collapsing to the mat in pain. She had to be helped off the mat and later carried by Károlyi to the medal stand. U.S. Women's Gymnastics had their first team gold in Olympic history and Kerri Strug was a national hero. It's this story that inspired "The Bronze" (R, 1:48), but that's all that Strug's heroic act of self-sacrifice has in common with this embarrassment of a movie.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, American gymnast Hope Annabelle Greggory (Melissa Rauch, from TV's "The Big Bang Theory") suffered an injury during the Women's Team Competition, but still managed to perform in her final event, helping the U.S. to a team bronze. She spent the next dozen years in her small hometown of Amherst, Ohio (30 miles west of Cleveland) living off her fifteen minutes of fame, in the home of her devoted widowed father (Gary Cole), depending on him for most of her support. She also gets free meals at the mall food court, has a reserved parking space in front of the town diner and she wears her USA warm-up suit everywhere. Hope's glory days – correction, glory day is an Olympic-sized cow and she is milk-ing-it! This might not be so bad if she were a decent person, but she's rude, foul-mouthed, promiscuous, dumb, self-centered and meanest to those who care about her the most.

Certain circumstances arise that convince Hope to train another rising Amherst gymnast by the name of Maggie Townsend (Haley Lu Richardson) and make sure she's prepared for the upcoming Olympics. This puts Hope back in contact with an awkward, but sweet local guy named Ben (Thomas Middleditch) who co-owns the gym where Hope is training Maggie – and back in conflict with an old enemy, former Olympic Men's Gymnastics Gold Medal Winner Lance Tucker (Sebastian Stan) who is now a fellow Olympic Women's Gymnastics coach. Besides clashing with Lance and being mean to Ben, Hope's jaded and selfish personality contrasts greatly with Maggie's innocent enthusiasm, but Maggie and her hard-working single mother (SNL's Cecily Strong) are grateful to have her services. Hope herself ends up having more at stake in this scenario than she ever imagined – including her own hometown hero status.

"The Bronze" is rarely funny and often ridiculous. In the hands of more talented comedic actresses, this might have been an entertaining movie, but as it stands, Hope's steady stream of profanities, unladylike antics and self-aggrandizing behavior just come across as comedy by pummeling. (Or maybe, given this movie's subject matter, comedy by… pommeling.) The script, written by the film's star and her husband, Winston Rauch, is content to portray hope as an unlikeable, one-dimensional character through most of the movie and first-time feature film director Bryan Buckley (known mostly for short films and Super Bowl commercials) is unable to tease much that is worthwhile out of his actors or the script. Worse yet, he allows some of his main characters to speak in an accent that I have never heard anywhere between the Ohio River and Lake Erie, and the only well-directed action in the movie is not on the mat, but in a graphic sex scene late in the movie that feels dropped in out of nowhere. Propped up by only a few laughs and a little sweetness, this film couldn't even win bronze in a two-movie competition. "D"

I want to start out by saying this film is fantastic..! It starts out REALLY slow & I almost made the mistake by turning it off but I stuck with it & boy am I glad.. Melissa Rauch who I'd never heard of before watching this film is hilarious.. She plays a mean foul mouthed former Olympian bronze medalist who is still living off that fame 12 yrs later & plays the part like a BOSS..!

*******WARNING*******

This film isn't for everyone it is filled with cuss words, sexual innuendos, nudity & a whole bunch of funny so if you like any or all of the above you'll love this film.. 7.5/10

I really liked this movie. Made me Laugh a lot.

Ignore the bad reviews or low scores.

I have never heard so much cussing in my life. Way over the top. There was absolutely nothing likable about the lead actress. Nothing. I kept waiting thinking there would be some redeeming quality about her. But nothing. And if younger people watch this and think it is normal, no wonder the country is in trouble. I just wanted her father to slap her and kick her out. But no, he was a total punching bag for her. And her "boy friend" must have been really hard up for female companionship. Why anyone would put up with her was the question of the movie. Calling "The Bronze" a comedy is a joke in itself. A couple funny spots in an otherwise terribly dark film doesn't make it a comedy. A sad excuse of a movie.