Nobody expects greatness from Adam Carolla, the
wisecracking second banana on two of the more noxious television programs of
the past decade: The Man Show and Loveline. Heck, people barely expect adequacy from
the veteran radio personality. So at least some of the positive buzz
surrounding his feature-film vehicle The Hammer seems attributable to low
expectations. Like its hard-luck title character, the ramshackle comedy boasts the element of
surprise. The Hammer sure doesn't look like much on paper: a television journeyman
and novice actor leading a no-name cast in a low-budget comic variation on the
tried-and-true Rocky formula. But much of the film's charm comes from its scruffy,
self-effacing modesty; it's a relaxed, affable underdog about a relaxed,
affable underdog.
Carolla makes an unexpectedly assured transition
to leading man as a 40-year-old carpenter who long ago gave up on dreams of
boxing glory in favor of a solid, mildly soul-crushing working-class existence.
But Carolla gets an unexpected second chance at glory when a prominent trainer
with ulterior motives takes him under his wing. Carolla starts off as little
more than an unpaid punching dummy, serving as an unwitting sparring partner
for a younger, more promising boxer. Yet through hard work, heart, and the
miracle of boxing-movie clichés, he quickly morphs from chump to contender.
Like his character, Carolla once toiled as a
carpenter, and The Hammer is infused with a loving eye for the details of
blue-collar life, from the protagonist's grey little apartment and taunting,
much-abused alarm clock to a scene where Carolla and an unbilled Jane Lynch
engage in deadpan one-upmanship by trading impenetrable home-improvement
jargon. A populist crowd-pleaser and nifty little sleeper, The Hammer ambles along agreeably on
the strength of its star's likeable turn and a tone that's subtle and
disarmingly sweet. In yet another unexpected twist—at least by Man
Show and Loveline standards—the film
gives Carolla a love interest (Heather Juergensen, of Kissing Jessica Stein semi-fame) who's smart,
substantive, quirky, and not the typical twentysomething glamour girl. The
Hammer is
shockingly not bad. Even more shockingly, it's quite good.
Key features: Amusing deleted scenes, a
freewheeling conversation between Carolla and sidekick Oswaldo Castillo, and a
loose, self-deprecating audio commentary from Carolla and screenwriter Kevin
Hench.