Kevin James,,
'Here Comes
the Boom'
** (PG)
BY FR'II{K TOVECE
Specicl to Newsday
ortly Kevin fames playing a
mixed martial artist strains
credulity more so than his
last movie, "Zookeeper," and
that one had talking animals.
While comedy has a long tradi-
tion of characters in situations
out of their physical depths
think tiny Charlie Chaplin in- a
boxing ring in "City Lights"
(1931), or Bugs Bunny in innu-
merable such situations
humor comes out of their - at-the
tempts to outsmart or avoid the
opponent. When the physical
danger turns real, so does the
you take it at
scene
- andyouonce
face value, ask yourself:
Why doesn't most of this movie
take placejn a coma ward?
James plays 42-year-old high
school biology teacher Scott
Voss, who was teacher of the year
a decade ago, but is now so
apathetic he ignores his students
and hides behind the sports page.
Whenbudget cuts threatento cut
the music progrtrm of abeloved
teacher (a comically porgnant
Henry Wir*ler), Scott vows to
raise the $48,000 needed to keep
PIOT A high school teacher
moonlights as a mixed martial
artist.
CAST Kevin James, Salma Hayek,
Henry Winkler, Bas Rutten
LENGTH 1:44
PIAYING AT Area theaters
BOTTOM LINE Kevin James,
fighter? Harder to wrap your
head around than a face-lock.
it going. As a side benefit, his
generosity impresses the hot
school nurse (Salma Hayek).
Having only until the end of
the school year, former college
wrestler Scott enlists an MIVIA
teacher (actor and real-life figbter
Bas Rutten) to train him for
low-stakes bouts that nonetheless
pay welL scott eventually catches
the attention of Ultimate Fighting
Championship commentator foe
Rogan (playing himsel0, who has
front,
with Henry
Winkler, gets
his kicks in
"Here Comes
the Boom."
Kidsday's
review and
interview
with James,
836. '|
asoft spot formusic studies and
elevates Scott to a Las Vegas UFC
undercard as a last-minute
replacement to fight a guy called
The Executioner (real-life fighter
Krzysztof Soszpski).
Iamegwho was raised in Stony
Brooh is slimmer and in better
shape than we're used to seeing,
but fits the part ofan Ultimate
Fighting Championship competi-
tor as well as he'd fit the part of a
Knick The movie takes pains to
show his pains stitdr here, a
a
-
dislocated shoulder there but
onlyto apoint Thebarrage- of
punches he takes to the head
would, in reality,Ieave him
bruised purple and disfigured
with broken bones. There'd be
nothing funny about that. And
except for a few moments of
effective slapstick the best of it
involvingvomiting-inthe ring, as
hard as that is for me to write
-
there's not much furury about this
commercialforthe UFC.