Adam Carolla has never really been a media darling. With the exception of a few blogs – like this one, and WWTDD – pretty much everyone is either lukewarm or downright hateful. Reviewers like Tom Shales of The Washington Post have lambasted Adam, saying he has “no showmanship,” whatever that means. I’m not sure who was more angry at the review; me, or Adam himself.
Now, it seems that it’s finally time for Adam to enjoy some praise. His recent starring role as Jerry Ferro in The Hammer was the perfect vehicle for his talents, demonstrating that maybe, just maybe, he’s got that showmanship in spades.
Jerry is a forty-year-old carpenter who’s lazy and unmotivated. When a practical joke gets him and his friend fired from the job site, he takes on more classes at the gym where he teaches boxing. A former fighter, he gave up the ring when he was nineteen to, in his words, “smoke weed and play Atari.” It’s a decision he regrets, but now it’s 21 years later and he thinks it’s too late.
But an old coach who’s training boxers for the Olympics thinks otherwise. He convinces Jerry to get back in shape as a light heavyweight to compete for a chance at the gold. But there’s something he doesn’t tell Jerry – he knows there’s no chance for a forty-year-old ex-amateur to make it. By giving Jerry false hope, he’s scored himself a free sparring partner for his real star, the arrogant Robert Brown.
With the help of his old construction buddy Oswaldo, who speaks English with a nearly impenetrable Nicaraguan accent, Jerry tries to pull his life together. Meanwhile, he’s trying to woo one of his boxing students, played by Heather Jurgensen. Both plotlines weave and dance as gracefully as an expert lightweight in the ring, and they give a perfect background for Adam’s expertly-edited rants about some of his favorite topics: slow drivers, shoddy carpentry, and the inanity of the La Brea Tar Pits.
The movie is funny. It’s very funny, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. I’m so proud of Adam.
Eat it, Tom Shales!
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