Prior to an October 3rd release from A24, sports biopic The Smashing Machine has been unveiled at Venice with Toronto up next. A passion project of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the former wrestler plays MMA fighter Mark Kerr in the solo directorial debut from Benny Safdie. Emily Blunt is Kerr’s wife with Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk providing support.
Usually front and center in franchise, action, or family fare (or a combo of them), Smashing has been circled as Johnson’s potential entry into the awards mix. Word-of-mouth from Italy confirms that with a 93% Rotten Tomatoes rating and 76 on Metacritic. Numerous reviews call it rather conventional and I doubt Best Picture, its direction, or the script will be up for consideration.
Johnson is a genuine threat to make the Best Actor quintet as is Emily Blunt for Supporting Actress. If she gets in, it would be her second nom in three years for that race behind 2023’s Oppenheimer. Since BP likely isn’t in the cards, it makes both of their inclusions questionable but achievable. The best bet might be Makeup and Hairstyling highlighting Johnson’s transformation for the role. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…
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