Adam Carolla's boxing comedy The Hammer is so charmingly low key that it practically defies criticism. Carolla himself articulated it best (in the DVD's special features) when he said, "It's gonna be good, maybe not great, but definitely good." He is exactly right: the movie is good. It might not be Rocky (or even Rocky Balboa for that matter), but Carolla wasn't aiming quite that high in the first place. Clearly Carolla's goal was to provide a lightweight, sports-oriented comedy that could be enjoyed by a wide audience. In those terms, The Hammer is a smashing success.
The Hammer is a semi-autobiographical account of Carolla's pre-celebrity life. Carolla plays a freelance carpenter named Jerry Ferro who, despite being an all-around amiable guy, doesn't have much going for him. The film opens on Jerry's 40th birthday, as he realizes he hasn't quite accomplished everything he wanted to before that important benchmark. To top things off Jerry manages to get himself and his best friend Ozzie fired, and his girlfriend kicks him out of their apartment.
With nothing left except a boxing class he teaches at the local gym, he ends up on Ozzie's sofa looking for a way to change his life. Luckily Jerry still has a mean left hook, which in his younger days earned him his "Hammer" nickname. While sparring in the gym with another boxer, Jerry draws the attention of boxing coach Ernie Bell. Bell is recruiting boxers for the US Olympic team. He encourages Jerry to try out, even though Jerry hasn't boxed in twenty years. It's up to Jerry to decide where this opportunity will take him. Will he put the work in or will he give up, as he has been doing his whole adult life?
Carolla ably carries the movie on the strength of his likeable persona. Much of the success of The Hammer comes from how well Carolla's strengths are utilized. This isn't a belly-laugh type of comedy, but rather a comedy of chuckles and snickers - and those occur frequently. The movie is a very relatable take on the struggles of becoming successful. Jerry is not the cliched, pot-smoking loser who hasn't even moved out his parents' house, prevalent in so many movies that try to tackle the same themes. Rather he is a normal, self-sufficient guy who just never put in the effort needed to rise above just-getting-by status.
Article comments
1 - Derek Fleek
I completely agree. It might not be a classic, but it was surprisingly touching. Good review.