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Parents' Guide to

Grudge Match

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Two legends duke it out in underwhelming comedy.

Movie PG-13 2013 113 minutes
Grudge Match Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 16+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 12+
language
age 18+

Garbage!

The previews made this look like it would be an ok bit of comedy....it was tripe!!!! The story was shallow at best, the language was egregiously offensive...and I am now of the opinion that if Kevin Hart is in a movie, I will be staying away from that movie. The language was the worst. Offence after offence....and none of the language even seemed to have any context! Even my 18 year old, football playing son (so you know he's heard some language!) came away saying that this movie made him feel dirty. Do yourself a favor and avoid this one.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (9 ):

This movie's pretty disappointing overall. There is a sort of movie magic in seeing two screen legends go toe to toe, like when De Niro and Pacino played a master thief and dogged detective in Heat -- but of course, Sylvester is no Pacino, and this is no Heat. Neither is it Rocky (despite the various references) or Raging Bull starring sexagenarians. As it is, neither man is particularly likable, and elements of the film (two different men drive rusted, beat-up cars in an age when cars are rust-proof; a man allows his newly met grandson to stay in the care of a bartender) are rather ridiculous.

But if you can keep in good spirits from the novelty of seeing De Niro and Stallone play 60-something boxing rivals, you will laugh a few times, particularly at the supporting characters played by Hart and Arkin, who are both genuinely funny actors. The boxing scenes are pretty uninspired, but given the actors' ages, that might have been for the best. Kim Basinger, still lovely at 60, co-stars as Razor's ex-girlfriend Sally, and Bernthal -- best known for his stint on The Walking Dead -- does his best as Sally and Billy's adult son. Are you going to sing "Eye of the Tiger" afterward? No. But if you stick it out through the credits, you will get a kick out of a cameo featuring real boxing rivals.

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