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Hammer (The)
R1 - America - Genius Products Review written by and copyright: Rob Fields (15th June 2008). |
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The Film
 I’ll admit, I don’t really get into boxing movies too much. On the other hand, I really don’t watch movies featuring Adam Carolla. In fact, I had never even heard of the guy. I had to look on the Internet Movie Database to see if MAYBE I might have seen him and didn’t know about it. It turns out that he had a bit part in the Gregg Araki film, “Splendor” (1999). He was also in a deleted scene on the 2-disc Collector’s Edition of “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001). In other words, he’s NOT an A-list actor. So, anyway, I’m in the kitchen talking to my Uncle and I hear the sound of a vehicle pulling into the driveway. Turns out it was the FedEx delivery man. He handed me the padded envelope, I cut it open, and I pulled this title out of it. I’ll admit, I didn’t have too good of a feeling about this title. Now, I always try and keep a positive attitude. I’ve had this feeling about many of the other titles I’ve reviewed in the past. I had always told myself that it probably wouldn’t be as bad as it looked. In most cases, it wasn’t. In some cases I actually ended up enjoying the titles. So, without further delay, let’s see if “The Hammer” is going to be one more that I’ll end up enjoying. “The Hammer” (1:31:01) – Synopsis: TV and radio funnyman Carolla steps into the ring for this hilariously entertaining sports comedy. Carolla, a real-life former Golden Gloves slugger, plays Jerry “The Hammer” Ferro, a 40-year-old boxing washout turned construction worker. When a top trainer spots Jerry’s still-lethal left hook, he gets a surprise shot at glory in the U.S. Olympic trials. But will his smartass attitude get him thrown off the team? Co-stars Heather Juergensen and Constance Zimmer... The only two characters that were able to keep my interest in this film were Lindsay Pratt (Juergensen). I remember her from “Kissing Jessica Stein” (2001) and really liked that movie, so I knew I’d enjoy her scenes. She manages to keep a serious face during her scenes in the movie. It just worked for her character, a lawyer. I also enjoyed how Robert Brown (Harold House Moore) grew as a character. He started out being this boxer with an attitude. Over time, he came to respect Jerry as a fighter and a friend. I’m just glad he wasn’t one-dimensional. At least these two actors are actually acting, compared to Carolla. In spite of what is said in the downsides below, there IS a payoff to this particular story. So I’ll give this a redeeming quality. The downsides? Where do I start? To date, this has been the longest 91 minutes that I’ve ever had to review. Carolla definitely has a yawn factor of 13 (10 being the highest). For one thing, the guy can’t act. Basically, the only thing he seems capable of doing is cracking one bad joke right after another. He isn’t even TRYING to put any effort into his acting. In fact, he’s so monotone throughout the entire movie. My final word: Unless you’re a real Carolla die-hard, this DVD is definitely a pass. In other words, not worth a rental or a purchase. You’d be better off watching an Adam Sandler film.
Video
The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen format (1.85:1 ratio). The picture looks good, except for the occasional video grain. I think this film must have been shot in digital, since I don’t see any actual film grain itself.
Audio
The film features an English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack. There are optional English (hard-of-hearing) and Spanish subtitles available. The soundtrack mainly utilized the front speakers. I don’t feel the back ones were used much, if at all. If anything, this track comes off more like a Dolby 2.0 mono mix.
Extras
Genius Products has included an audio commentary track, deleted scenes, outtakes, featurettes, promotional segments, a still gallery, the film’s theatrical trailer, and some bonus trailers round out the special features on this DVD. Read further for some insight into these extras. There are optional English (hard-of-hearing) subtitles are available for all features except for the audio commentary and the bonus trailers. There is a feature-length audio commentary track with actor/writer/executive producer Adam Carolla and writer/co-Producer Kevin Hench. Upon selecting this option, you will be taken to the usual legal disclaimer which is custom to nearly every commentary track these days. I was already groaning about having to listen to this, having watched the film and the other extras. Still, the commentary track was actually surprisingly good. While there ARE some more bad jokes, there are actually some technical details provided. They also touch upon the main issue highlighted on the Internet Movie Database – the R-rating for this film (many believe it should have received a PG-13). In my opinion, this track is actually more interesting than the film itself. That’s sad... There are 8 deleted scenes. You can play them individually or with the ‘Play All’ option: - "Dale Earnhardt" runs for 1 minute 6 seconds – This is the scene where the guy where the guy with the tell-tale bumper sticker suddenly stops for a red light. Then, Jerry starts rambling off one bad joke after another (one take after another). - "Actors & Immigrants" runs for 48 seconds – Jerry rambles on to Ozzie while they’re on the freeway. It’s one take after another with different lines. - "Good Day Sir" runs for 37 seconds – A scene where Jerry and Lindsay are on their date at the restaurant. More bad jokes. - "Dos Espatulas" runs for 49 seconds – Jerry is giving spatula advice to a fellow construction worker. - "Belt Sander Post-Mortem" runs for 41 seconds – Jerry and Ozzie are on the road after the belt sander incident. - "That Freudian Thing" runs for 1 minute 32 seconds – Jerry and Ozzie arrive at the gym. They see Lindsay walking toward the building and they talk about her. - "I Have Jesus In Me" runs for 1 minute 26 seconds – The boxers are on the road. There is a religious program on the radio. Jerry and Victor talk about religion in the meantime. - "Extended Tar Pit Sequence" runs for 2 minutes 41 seconds – More of Jerry and Lindsay’s date at the tar pit. More of Jerry’s bad jokes. There are 4 minutes and 46 seconds worth of outtakes. It’s just one take after another of mistakes. Laugh if you can... The featurette “A Conversation With Adam & Ozzie” runs 17 minutes and 11 seconds. Here, you see Carolla and Oswaldo Castillo sitting together at a radio station. Adam explains how the two of them met. It’s a good thing that English subtitles are provided, because it’s hard to understand Castillo’s dialogue. More or less, it’s Adam interviewing Ozzie. This feature is 16 x 9 enhanced. There are 6 behind-the-scenes promotional segments: - "Round One" runs for 1 minute 40 seconds – Carolla explains the plot of the movie. - "Round Two" runs for 1 minute 53 seconds – Carolla and Ozzie are filming a scene in Lindsay’s back yard. - "Round Three" runs for 1 minute 56 seconds – Carolla is in the gym talking about a possible time he got into a fight. Turns out it’s a promotion for the movie. - "Round Four" runs for 1 minute 22 seconds – Carolla is in the gym again in another promotional spot. - "Round Five" runs for 1 minute 42 seconds – This one features Oswaldo Castillo. This one is actually the more interesting of the six presented here. It’s basically some behind-the-scenes silliness. - "Round Six" runs for 2 minutes 4 seconds – Carolla is at a radio station talking about the fight scenes and what he had to go through. The featurette “Ozzie’s ADR Session” runs 1 minute and 57 seconds. Here, you just see a single still. It’s more of a audio interview or a comedy sketch (and not a very good one at that) between Carolla and Castillo. There is a still gallery with 58 photographs showing scenes from the movie. When you reach the end, it cycles back to the beginning. Use the Special Features option to exit. Also featured on the disc is the film's original theatrical trailer and it runs for 2 minutes 25 seconds. Rounding out the extras are a collection of bonus trailers that play before the Main Menu and are for: - "Where In the World Is Osama Bin Laden?" which runs for 2 minutes 1 second. - "Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee" which runs for 2 minutes 27 seconds. - "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With" which runs for 2 minutes 20 seconds.
Overall
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