By John Howard: Although “The Hammer” was released (limited) in select theaters on March 21st, I waited until it came to our local $3 theater rather than drive the 60 miles to Los Angeles to review it. In retrospect, I should have made the drive back in March … I found the movie that entertaining.
An underachiever for most of his life, Jerry Ferro (Adam Carolla), plays a 40-year-old carpenter and former Golden Gloves boxer who, after showing up an up-and-coming pro, is offered the chance to qualify for the Olympic team.
Carolla of “The Man Show” and “Loveline,” is the featured radio talk show host (in real life) on KLSX – FREE FM (97.1) in Los Angeles.
In the movie, he plays a carpenter whose lack of motivation cost him his girlfriend and gets him fired from his latest job. He settles for the position of cardio boxing instructor at a local gym where he develops a love relationship with a smart and attractive lawyer (Heather Juergensen) from the District Attorney’s office.
Olympic boxing coach Eddie Bell (Tom Quinn), is in need of a tough sparring partner for his can’t miss phenom Robert Brown (Harold House Moore), but is unwilling to pay $100 a day. So, coach Bell convinces Jerry he has a chance to make the Olympic team in order to keep him around to act as a mentor for the undisciplined Brown.
Known for his stand-up comedy and long drawn-out rants interspersed with carpenter lingo, this is Carolla at his best with the quick wit and charming personality.
If you’re a fan of the type of comedy Howard Stern, Arte Lange and Jimmy Kimmel offer, then you’ll love “The Hammer.” The athletic Carolla, a one-time Golden Gloves boxer himself, plays the fight scenes perfectly. Carolla’s sidekick Ozzie (Oswaldo Castillo) plays Carolla’s best friend and fellow carpenter.
“The Hammer” is meant to be taken tongue in cheek so it’s hard to compare this to a serious boxing movie. However, I will say this low budget movie does not lack the heart that I’ve failed to see in other boxing movies with much larger budgets.
If you want to escape reality for 93 minutes and like to laugh out loud (the fight scenes are nothing to laugh about — they are that good), this movie delivers all that and much more.