Who's in It: Adam Carolla, Heather Juergensen
The Basics: A middle-aged loser who used to be a boxer gets back in the ring for one final shot at greatness. Yes, really. That's really what it's about. And you want to hear something else weird? It's almost kind of funny and good. I mean, not really funny or really good. But … enough.
What's the Deal? You know the story already if you've seen any of the Rockys. What makes this one somewhat different is that it stars Carolla, who's a better stand-up comic than an actor. Unless, of course, "Adam Carolla" is his character. Then he's the Olivier of deadpan schlubs. Anyway, it'll make you laugh enough so that you forget you've seen it all before.
Problems: It's clearly zero-budget, and it shows. Everything looks cheap and sort of grimy, as though they didn't have permits to shoot and had to borrow props and stuff. The bigger problem, though, is the way it grinds to a halt whenever Carolla decides he wants to go off on a stand-up rant about whatever just crossed his path. You have to wait until he's done yammering, but you don't really mind because he's being sort of funny.
My Favorite Part When he and Kissing Jessica Stein's Juergensen go on a "day date" to the La Brea Tar Pits. It's not the funniest part or anything; I just love the La Brea Tar Pits. It's the stinkiest place in Los Angeles, and they fell out of favor as a punch line after Last Action Hero. That's sad.
What Movies Like This Are Really About: White male anxiety about black athletes. There's even a dialogue exchange about it, but not one that's knowing or self-aware enough about its own weirdness.