In a new movie produced by pro wrestling’s subsidiary, WWE Studios, a belligerent bad boy character suddenly turns wistful and observes, “The smell of the mat never leaves you.”
Well, something stinks about “Legendary.” And it’s not the heady mix of sweat and polyvinyl. In truth, there’s nothing about this cheaply appointed, weakly performed, and primitively written sports-related drama that doesn’t emit the unmistakable whiff of failure.
Stars » John Cena, Devon Graye, Patricia Clarkson, Danny GloverDirector » Mel DamskiRated PG-13 for suggestive material, brief partial nudity and some fighting scenes.Running time » 107 minutes
If you follow the WWE, then you probably know of its champion John Cena. “Legendary” appears to exist to give its Raw headliner another chance to make the transition into mainstream pop culture. Untested feature filmmakers, director Mel Damski and screenwriter John Posey, provide him an easy alter ego to play, a barely verbal former wrestler. And two veteran actors — Patricia Clarkson and Danny Glover, cashing in on embarrassingly slight roles — surround him to try to add some kind of legitimacy.
But whatever charisma Cena may have in the ring, it is nowhere in evidence in this inert reworking of the “Karate Kid” template.
He plays Mike Chetley, the sullen black sheep of a small town Oklahoma family. Estranged from his long-suffering mother Sharon (Clarkson), the former college all-American grappler goes rogue after his involvement in the car accident that killed his father.
After the requisite bar fights and grunts of ornery attitude, Mike has an opportunity to get his groove back by helping his scrawny, brainy little brother Cal (Devon Graye) train to become a competitive high school wrestler. Will he step up to the plate and see his alienation redeemed? A big tournament climax eventually ensues.
There’s not a single unforeseen choice in the script. Told from innocent Cal’s point of view, the tale hardly misses a sports movie motif or coming-of-age cliche either, from awkward first kiss to mean bully rival to mystical elder mentor (Glover). Sad to say, Cal is played by a young person who lacks star quality and — like the production’s other anchor Cena — offers little thespian capacity or even potential.
Furthermore, their movie doesn’t derive energy even from its few, short scenes of sports action. Amateur youth wrestling doesn’t easily lend itself to the clear-cut visuals of winning and losing that make for good theater. And director Damski does little to gin up excitement in the choreography.
By any measure, “Legendary” is anything but that.
