The Hammer (2007)

Yeah Coach, when is the black man finally gonna get a fair shake in the fight game?” – Jerry Ferro

Synopses
Jerry Ferro is a retired boxer who left the sport early so he could maintain his perfect record. He now works construction and teaches suburbanites boxing in the evening. Things seem to be going nowhere for Jerry when one day he gets a chance to fight an up and coming boxing superstar. Despite getting pummeled, he manages to land a colossal knockout punch. This inspires Jerry to give it another go at the sport he loves.

Jeff’s Review
Released in select cities, the Hammer is sure to be a mega hit once everyone gets a chance to hear about it. No doubt, the more people see it, the more they will recommend it. This is the problem with independent films with such a limited budget. Few realize it costs about $15,000.00 just to make one print of a film for a movie theater. That’s an insane amount of money when you think of major films that open at 3,500 plus theaters!

This movie is strong enough to over come the obstacles. And even if it doesn’t mange to get a wider release, I predict it will be huge on DVD. Which is something I suppose they were expecting with their miniature budget.

But audiences will love Jerry Ferro. They will empathize and care about him. Adam Carolla is remarkable actor and his quick wit reminds me of Steve Carrell and the late Phil Hartmen.

Carolla is found of saying acting is easy and anyone could do it. He uses the example of his co-star Oswaldo Castillo who really is a Nicaraguan construction worker who happenes to be friends with Adam in real life. When making the movie, Carolla would just say to him to, “Now act happy,” or “act sad” and he would do it. And even if he is exaggerating, it doesn’t matter because Castillo is actually good in his acting debut.

Cast
Adam Carolla as Jerry Ferro
Oswaldo Castillo as Oswaldo Sanchez
Heather Juergensen as Lindsay Pratt
Harold Moore as Robert Brown
Jonathan Hernandez as Victor Padilla

Suggestions and Ratings
Great date movie (read chick flick) that guys will enjoy! The movie is rated R because of a couple “F” bombs, but I would suggest it for teenagers and up. The Hammer is a fun comedy that I can’t wait to see again. Four out of four stars.