A month ago, Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine” screened for a lucky few. I kept quiet about it. However, it’s now just screened again, and judging by what I’ve heard, there is zero doubt in my mind people are not ready for the type of film in store.
I’m told what Safdie has concocted in ‘Smashine Machine’ is “indescribable in tone and style,” and that it “almost plays like a spoof of the biopic genre.” In other words, ‘Smashing Machine,’ is “gonzo filmmaking,” and is NOT Oscar-bait in the least bit.
Safdie “deconstructs” the biopic and gives us one of the weirdest A24 films ever produced. I’m told Dwayne Johnson’s performance runs the tonal opposite of the film’s odd style — “It’s as if his performance belongs in a different movie,” one attendee tells me.
In other words, ‘Smashing Machine’ is not the film any of us expected it to be. Although described as a “biopic” of beloved MMA fighter Mark Kerr, this is not a conventional tackling of his life.
The film — which is said to have a $40M budget — stars Johnson and Emily Blunt, and wrapped production in summer 2024. A24 has released one official image for the film (seen above), and I’ll be curious to see how the trailer plays out.
The film is based on the life of MMA fighter Mark Kerr (Johnson). Kerr’s career peaked during the “no-holds-barred era of the UFC,” in the early 2000s. His life — filled with substance abuse addiction — was the topic of an insightful 2002 documentary, “The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr.”
I’m not entirely sure how A24 will be marketing this one, nor am I quite sure where the best place to premiere it might be — I’d venture to guess a European film festival is an ideal fit. This will certainly not play well with the more mainstream crowds at TIFF.
The ‘Smile’ franchise has a new director. David Bruckner, who made “The Night House” and the 2022 “Hellraiser” reboot, has been hired to direct “Smile 3” for Paramount.