THE (Success of a Failed) SMASHING MACHINE

  

you can almost hear how badly film twitter wants to call him unrecognizable here

*no spoilers here really, though I guess I mention general ideas related to the movie*

        To talk of The Smashing Machine is really to talk of its star. This of course is the wrestler turned actor turned marketing maniac, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a hulking mass of human muscle whose “films” of the last several years, or perhaps more fittingly brand extension campaigns, are essentially synonymous with the least critically acclaimed movies of the decade. Whether you are thinking of Red One, Red Notice, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle or Jungle Cruise, these are films about as acclaimed as their titles are diverse. While past movie stars of his luster and caliber were at least occasionally interested in lending their influence to more, to put it bluntly, artfully driven work, for some time Dwayne Johnson has been seemingly deadset on a spiral of increasingly bland, increasingly marketable, increasingly slop-like drivel, making deals and promotions wherever the opportunity presented itself and often even when it did not. I think of the now classic (admittedly potentially fabricated) tweet that mourned both the late Queen Elizabeth as well as the fact that her death would prevent her from seeing Black Adam. Whether the tweet was real or not, the very idea that it was even remotely believable is proof enough of Johnson's mindset and how he was perceived by the public. Yet, what is so interesting about this figure, and what ultimately makes him a perfect choice for Benny Safdie’s fascinating new film is that despite his star's long standing commitment to a corporate heaven clothed in his glorious images of asexual invincibility, The Rock, I dare say, genuinely believed he was making good films. 

When Dwayne Johnson sat in Christopher Nolan’s IMAX chair and found himself endowed from on high with a vision of Red One’s potential, he fell victim to a justifiable barrage of memes at his expense. It was laughable to think that the Rock’s approaching Amazon anti-blockbuster (money laundering scheme?) could result in anything near Nolan’s Oscar winning spectacle even if it was to be projected in that premium format, yet within that amusing video is a narcissistic sincerity that betrays an almost pure belief in his work. Yes, the Rock was probably just fumbling another Elizabethan marketing tie-in, but there is a joy in his voice that to me seems to actually come from a place of real desire, a confidence rivaled only by the characters he so frequently plays. Essentially, The Rock had begun to believe in the figure he played in his movies. One who always kept calm, always succeeded, and was basically always right, and yet for some reason he couldn’t fathom, he had failed. People were turning against him. 

Now, of course, judging by box office alone, including The Smashing Machine’s receipts, this story looks a little different. Most The Rock films turn a profit, even if yes there was a pre-Safdie decline, and this departure into the realm of real acting could be framed to constitute his first real failure. However, I think this paints an incomplete picture, a point properly contextualized first by his unsuccessful coup of DC Studios. As Black Adam box office results insisted against his declarations and James Gunn informed Henry Cavill he would be out of work, something of a crisis began to take shape for The Rock. Again, as laughable as it may seem, Dwayne seemed completely convinced that his future as a super movie star marketing man would achieve its next echelon all on the merits of a character like Black Adam and seemed shocked to discover that it did not. While yes the film still performed decent numbers, for the first time The Rock had not really gotten his way and, whether thanks to some other kind of narcissism or in fact motivated by this moment, he decided it was at long last time to try his hand at something he’d already made millions of dollars from, that being of course: acting. 

At this point, cynicism remains difficult to avoid. It’s impossible to not see the echos of Fraser tears when The Smashing Machine premiered in Venice, though Dwayne did a solid impression, hard to not roll your eyes at its “movie star is acting now” conceit, complete with prosthetics mind you, and I’m not sure anything short of an actual sign on his forehead reading: “I’d like an Oscar now please” could more overtly state exactly what the Rock is hoping he’ll accomplish come next March. Yet, what becomes immediately apparent about the film is that beyond everything surrounding it, this is far from being a typical “oscar-bait” performance, nor is the film itself conventional. For the most part we have a performance that is deeply reluctant to show emotion, one that tries to push tears away and then hides its face when they arrive all the same, and one that in every moment where a sensational, "award-generic" choice may have been made, decides on something smaller, something more intimate. The Rock, in addition then to acting for the first time in his life, is showing nuance. 

It is precisely this dichotomy, this surprise, that gives the film a distinct and fascinating tone, one more complex than it seems the predominating critical analysis of the film. I’ll admit when it was announced the Safdie brothers were splitting up to both make sports-related films, and that Benny’s choice was to do a MMA movie featuring The Rock, I was doubtful and indeed in terms of sheer plot there may not be much new in The Smashing Machine. We’ve seen movies about the trials and tribulations of the fighter (even one with that title), those who are too violent out of the ring, those who are metaphors for the american dream, and even like this film, those who are addicts and struggle in their relationships. However, what Safdie is able to do here in his direction, something that would not have worked at all without Johnson’s performance, is craft a picture less of metaphor or even of an individual, but of strength, and where strength fails. Essentially, The Smashing Machine, rather than telling a story about the glorious triumphs of an inhumanly strong man, is about the limits of muscle; is about what happens when that strength is not enough, and whether it is even possible to then move forward at all. 

Emily Blunt is pretty good despite her essentially one note character

Thus the film has landed strangely for many audiences. While certainly those expecting a conventional sports drama or even the Rock’s typical fare will be let down, even those fans of the Safdies wanting more inversions of cinematic form have left theaters with their heads down (at least those who even went at all). The film is not perfect and runs along its plot-line checking off typical beats in regards to depictions of addiction and ambition and fraught relationships, something which especially lets down Emily Blunt’s character who comes off quite one note (though her considerable skill all but salvages the performance, still delivering something dynamic and human). However, it is precisely because of the film’s relative lack of sensationalizing beats, loud arguments (until a certain point), and even flashy camera work which grant the film its pulse. In many ways the movie feels as if it is coming from a more European, daresay Antonioni, Visconti type filmmaking, one interested in the interiority of its characters, yet featuring characters which frequently deny the audience that privilege. The Rock's Kerr is grasping to be seen the way he has constructed and tries as much as possible to not let a camera deadset on understanding him, truly have its way, a contrast which makes the film stronger. While, The Smashing Machine may not have the compositional focus of those great Italian works, it takes this leaf from their paces. I also think of Wim Winder’s careful meditations, which follow characters slowly, gradually un-peeling them. The Rock’s performance is great, and the film itself works, because it does not want to show you its true self. It is a film ground in muscles, which just like the body, shield everything on the inside, yet every muscle has its breaking point.

A still from Luchino Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers, a film more about that than boxing

I suppose now I ought to answer the main question required for everyone who has seen the film: should the Rock be nominated for, or even win, an Oscar? While I have not compiled anything resembling a list of my favorite 2025 performances yet, and I don’t imagine that come next March I’ll be hoping for a Johnson win, I have to say, much to my surprise, I don’t think I’ll be very upset to see him among the nominees. Safdie’s film is complicated and when it ended I was honestly fairly glad to have finished watching, though in the weeks since, I have thought of Johnson’s performance frequently. It’s not a film that inspires the kind of cinematic euphoria as something like Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler's magnum opus tier performance, nor does it succeed in that film's distinct discomfort. However, this movie approaches its central figure so unflinchingly, so quietly, so intimately, that while I was not moved in the way I expected, upon reflection, I have to praise the work that Benny and Dwayne achieved. 

        So now, at least according to the accountants, the Rock has failed again. While casting the blame upon a certain showgirl seems easy, even if that neglects to note that it's doubtful many Swifties transferred their tickets from this film to that, The Smashing Machine failed to become A24's biggest opening weekend and already seems to have relatively faded out of cultural consciousness. However, as the Rock posted recently, and as was announced, the experience of making this film moved him greatly and he will collaborate with Benny again soon. Yes, I would not wager money that you’re going to see me logging a watch of San Andreas on letterboxd any time soon, nor can I really fully endorse Johnson as a person (especially considering last year’s embarrassing anti-endorsement), however, I think unlike his actions for so long, and unlike so many of his other contemporaries, it seems like The Rock could be moving in the right direction.

        What do strong “invincible” men do when they fail? Well, often they spiral further, making their world worse for everyone in it, afraid to confront their own mortality. This masculinity today and in the past has the world in a chokehold and while the Johnson of former years was perhaps not the poster boy of that slime, his hands were certainly stained with the very same marks. However, in the biggest surprise yet, after encountering failure, it at least for now seems The Rock may actually be learning from his mistakes and continuing to grow as an, and I'm allowing for a deep breath here before I type the word, artist. It’s just still such a shame Queen Elizabeth will never get to see it.

If you still can, try and see it while its still in theaters and I'm pretty excited to see what the other Safdie will do with Timothee in December I must say.