Bending the Rules

The launch Vehicle for Adam "The Edge" Copeland blows bad, neither thrilling nor dramatic it just turns out to be another dumb squib from WWE house ; Condemned and Marine were much better ones. With a wafer thin plot-line which unfolds quite dumb straight, it fails to keep us engaged, let alone enthrall us. The saving grace might be those goofy comical scenes with Edge and Jamie albeit many of them were so numby. The mystery did draw our attention at regular intervals which were all hindered by those inane stumbling sub plots which i found rather irritating.

I admit, it was a treat to watch Edge with a character persona which really suited him, the stylish mannerisms, the walk and the funny one-liners which were all helped by some good background score, duhhh, but all goes haywire right from the word go. If u a big fan of "The Edge" u might find it watchable, others please don't bother to drop by unless its on TV, and that too if you haven't got anything else on TV!!

Bending the Rules certainly isn't going to win any awards and it probably won't win over the critics, but it's an enjoyable film that simply doesn't make the most of its potential.

Adam "Edge" Copeland was impressive in his first film. Though I'm not familiar with his in-ring persona at all, I thought he was very comfortable in his role and could easily have handled more. Perhaps a more serious movie will be in his future. Jamie Kennedy was fine though not memorable, while Jennifer Esposito and Alicia Witt were essentially wasted in small roles. Pruitt Taylor Vince and Philip Baker Hall were excellent in their limited screen time and Jessica Walter did not disappoint, though her character was a bit campier than I was hoping for. Her fans should especially enjoy the scene where no fewer than nine pictures of Walter herself adorn the background. Hall and Walter were perfectly cast and it seems like a film based around the Gold family could be quite a treat - either as a comedy or a family drama.

The biggest problem is that while there are some great funny moments, Bending the Rules is not really funny enough to be a comedy - yet it's too absurd at times for a drama and I was torn between wanting more laughs and wishing it was a serious film. The assembled cast is certainly capable of either and deserved better. I'm giving the film an 8 out of 10 not because it's a stellar film but simply because it's a fun film that doesn't drag and it exceeded my expectations. Some of the film's weakest moments are in the trailer and if the first-day turnout in Memphis is any indication, too many people have written it off based on that alone. That's unfortunate, because the film deserves a better fate. Those shut out by the limited release only have to wait a few weeks for the DVD, which I hope will fare better than the theatrical release.

"In one week Willy Bieber gets his just punishment because I refused to compromise." Detective Nick Blades (Edge) is on trial for corruption and Assistant DA Gold (Kennedy) is the one prosecuting him. After a mistrial occurs and Gold's car is stolen it is up to the two adversaries to work together to solve the crime that gets increasingly more sinister. Yet another movie starring a wrestler. I will have to admit that this is one of the better ones and at least they realize that it is hard to make a serious movie with one. While this boils down to just another buddy movie it is actually not that bad and kind of entertaining. There is enough comedy in this to keep you watching and even though this is fairly predictable it is still very much worth a watch. Fans of wrestler movies will love this, everyone else will enjoy this. At least I did. Overall, much better then the recent wrestler movies. I kinda liked it. I give it a B.

this is the first movie produced by wwe that i think is NOT BAD only but pretty good instead. the screenplay chose big-easy new orlean as the locale was a nice touch, it allowed us to have the opportunity to see some of the beautiful houses in the better neighborhood of new orlean where hurricane katrina luckily didn't destroy. those houses and the front yards are just wordlessly beautiful! love it! Adam Copeland (Edge) who played the maverick cop did a nice and natural performance in this film. but i have to say that Jamie Kennedy who played the tight-arse asst. d.a. actually saved the whole movie. he performed extremely well in this movie. watching him suffered so much and so many tormented moments in this movie almost made the audiences pity him. there were some dialog that was so funny to reflect adam copeland's real marriage history: divorced twice, just like the role he played, the dialog made him say that he already got two ex and he know what his nemesis asst. d.a. said about the divorce and the limited time to visit kids. a dialog subtly matching the real life of a character was indeed a nice touch. i kinda enjoyed this movie except the ending seemed to be a bit rush and forced.

If you're looking for something other than a light junk food movie, you probably shouldn't be watching this one.

Im almost tired of critics who critique based on what they think the movie should be, as opposed to what it is. There's nothing in this movie that shouldn't have played out exactly the way it did.

I've heard lots of arguments about how it wasn't quite a drama, but it wasn't quite a comedy. Its not so hard to imagine that when a movie tries to play both parts equally, we end up with a watered down version of each genre. Typically you either have a drama with a few comic scenes, or a comedy with a few dramatic scenes. This film splits it right in half, whether it upsets the viewer or not.

That said, i think that this was well executed. A buddy movie about two characters doing what they do best, despite the scorn of family, associates and management. What is received is an odd couple match up, with their own problems that make them human, as well as a understanding of the idea that they have their hearts in similar places, albeit different circumstances.

If you want cream of the crop, find another flick. Otherwise watch this and enjoy it for whatever it can do. Movies are made for a reason, not always the one a viewer wants. This movie probably hardly makes my top 500. But watching it from an unbiased viewpoint, i enjoyed it, twice, for what it was trying to portray.