I must admit that before walking into "Here Comes the Boom", the latest sports comedy film starring Kevin James, my expectations were low. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, nor was I expecting to be extremely entertained. While "Here Comes the Boom" was pretty much what I initially expected, it also wasn't a complete disaster. There are far better films, but there are also far worse.
While the premise is quite cliché and predictable, the thing that really hurts Boom is the lack of comedy that works. While I chuckled here and there, the film is really devoid of laughs and, in a film touted as a comedy, that's never a good thing.
This movie really is a tale of two halves. While the first half relies primarily on this half-funny comedy and trying to get you to feel sorry for initially unlikable characters, the second half feels more like a traditional sports movie with solid fight choreography. That half of the film succeeds. If the entire film had focused on being grittier and more realistic, it could've been something very solid. The fight scenes work when they try to be serious but really fall flat on their face when they try to be silly.
Ultimately, "Here Comes the Boom" is a feel-good film that had me genuinely excited towards the end of it, however predictable that ending may be. Once it stepped away from the first half's silliness and actually focused on the world of MMA and making the characters more likable, it really got me hooked.
Jordan Ray is a sophomore journalism major from Houston, Texas.
