Two aging lions who can still let out a mighty roar

Rating: Null/10 (28 December 2013)

On paper the premise for this movie would seem too ridiculous for words, a 73 year old man boxing a 67 year old man (Stallone and DeNiro's ages). However, I have to give the makers of this film just credit because they take this seemingly insane idea and make it work. So many people have commented that it was appropriate for Stallone and DeNiro to work together on a film like this. DeNiro won an Oscar for playing boxer Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull and Stallone played our most beloved movie boxer Rocky Balboa. Maybe they should have made this film back in the 1970s when both of them were in their primes! Stallone is basically playing Rocky in this film, a decent, honorable blue collar guy who is too proud to reveal he is blind in one eye. He and DeNiro are so funny to watch in their constant bickering, especially that part where they tear the studio apart in that computer simulation. I hadn't seen Kim Basinger for a while, but she still looks awesome and is really wonderful as the love interest of the two men (she is sort of the "Adrian" of the film). There are parts of this film that are sort of affectionate homages to Rocky. There is a scene where Stallone drinks a glass of cracked eggs and another where he is about to punch a side of beef but then his trainer tells him that is unsanitary and he only wants dinner (Alan Arkin has an amusing bit here as Stallone's geriatric foul mouthed trainer, he is supposed to be like Mick in the Rocky films). I really found myself rooting for Stallone's character because DeNiro, while doing his usual brilliant acting job, basically plays a horses ass! I didn't like that part where he endangers his young grandson I don't know how his son was so forgiving towards him. My other beef with the film is that training sequences that show the two elderly gents suffering the agonies of the damned seemed very forced (however I have to admit I thought the scene where DeNiro farted while doing sit-ups was very funny). Then ladies and gentleman we come to the conclusion, the great fight between these two old warriors. Will they remember to take their Geritol? It may be hard to believe, but the final fight is very exciting and realistic and like the bouts in Rocky. SPOILER ALERT Sly gets to win (duh doesn't he ALWAYS get to win) We see that the two men have laid their personal demons to rest and now have mutual respect for one another. Oh and by the way, sniff sniff, DeNiro hugs his estranged son and tells his grandson to call him "grandpa". What a happy ending. I have heard that this film is really getting slammed by the critics and I want to come to its defense. I also wanted to mention that you should stay for the closing credits because they have one last laugh in store for you. They try to get Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson to have a rematch!