Pain & Gain [2013]

Although the genre that I selected for this movie is comedy, there are a lot of things in Pain & Gain that are not funny, not funny at all (but they will still make you laugh). It’s very difficult to make a movie based on true events and not demean or insult the characters that actually lived those events. After Transformers, director Michael Bay decided to make such a movie about three not too bright body builders and their scheme to get rich. All the characters are very likable because they were portrayed as actual humans, with all their virtues and flaws, and the fact that most of the movie was shot from a perspective of the characters only amplifies this effect. This is not an excuse for the things that they did, but an explanation: dumb people will do dumb shit…

Daniel Lugo is a body builder who just got the job at the prestigious gym as a personal trainer. Recently released from prison, after serving time for one of his “get rich quick” schemes, Danial’s got a good job, but he always wants more. Same as his best buddy Adrian. Adrian used steroids a lot, and this has left him impotent and with only one option to resolve the issue: expensive penile injections. Daniel, after attending one of those you can do it seminars decides that he’s a doer and not a don’ter. And that “doing” requires one more person, although technically I would put down The Rock as two persons. Paul Doyle is an ex-convict and an ex-junkie who found god and is now doing everything he can to help his fellow man. Just the man that Danial has been looking for. Victor Kershaw is a very rich man with a personal trainer that I think you might know…

If you have ever been to a gym, you will immediately recognize all the slogans, pumping up and bro talk. It’s funny to see that some things are universal. Mark Wahlberg with this movie has reached the pinnacle of his career and acting abilities, he was phenomenal. He looked the part and he acted the part flawlessly, and the same goes for the rest of the cast. It was so funny to see The Rock as a cocaine-addicted ex-con who found god, but somehow still manages to do bad stuff. In case you are wondering are the events in this movie actually true, they are. Of course some of the characters have been intentionally left out, but the main events are all true (in case you want to find out what are the differences check out the link below)…

Director: Michael Bay

Writer: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Pete Collins

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris, Ken Jeong, Bar Paly

Fun Facts: Dwayne Johnson bulked up to nearly 300 pounds for his role.

Rating:

IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1980209/

True Events Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain_%26_Gain