Grudge Match

One of the most popular hypothetical arguments among sports fans is how championship teams or players from different eras would stack up against one another.

In terms of boxing movies, Jake LaMotta and Rocky Balboa are two of the most iconic characters from Oscar-winning films who might prompt a similar discussion. But Grudge Match does little to provide an answer.

Indeed, the biggest stroke of genius in this otherwise strained comedy is the casting of Robert De Niro (Raging Bull) and Sylvester Stallone (Rocky) as washed-up fighters trying to settle a decades-old feud. But it’s a concept that works better in theory than in practice.

It begins by recapping the history of Razor (Stallone) and Kid (De Niro), who both grew up in Pittsburgh and became championship fighters, splitting their two bouts against one another, with Razor retiring from the sport  before Kid could get a rematch.

In the 30 years since, Razor lost his fortune and took a factory job, while Kid opened a lucrative bar. When the son (Kevin Hart) of the promoter of their earlier fights proposes a reunion in the ring, both men have incentive to agree — Razor for the money, and Kid for the lingering bitterness.

However, both men are not only out of shape, but they’re not as popular as they once were, requiring significant training and publicity. Plus, they each have some personal issues to sort through, Razor with an old flame (Kim Basinger) who resurfaces, and Kid with an estranged son (Jon Bernthal) and young grandson.

All of those subplots feel like predictable filler leading to an inevitable climax in the ring, and that extended sequence is more underwhelming than genuinely exciting, perhaps making viewers wish for a special-effects showdown featuring holograms or something.

It seems director Peter Segal (50 First Dates) and two screenwriters can’t decide whether to poke fun at these characters for their ridiculous stunt or to play it straight, and they get caught in the middle without any real payoff either way. At least there are some nice exterior shots of Pittsburgh and an amusing training montage.

So what could have been an edgy satire about boxing comebacks, the contemporary state of the sport in general, or movie stars trying to reclaim old glory, instead is treated with kid gloves and a few half-hearted jabs.

Rated PG-13, 113 minutes.