Here Comes the Boom (2012) Kevin James, Salma Hayek, Henry Winkler, Gary Valentine, Bas Rutten Movie Review

Here Comes the Boom (2012)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Kevin James in Here Comes the Boom (2012)

Classroom Combat

Once upon a time high school biology teacher Scott Voss (Kevin James) was dedicated to enhancing young people's lives but as the years have passed he has become cynical and lazy. That all changes when Principal Betcher (Greg Germann) announces that their will be budget cuts and basically music teacher Marty Streb (Henry Winkler) is going to be out of a job due to no money for extra-curricular activities. Feeling the need to do some thing to sort this out, Scott sets about raising funds and ends up becoming a mixed-martial arts fighter to do so.

"Here Comes the Boom" has a strange vibe going on, a sort of mix of being earnest but also being funny and by saying funny I do mean stupid. As such you will get a scene where Kevin James as Scott tries to bring out some sort of underlying emotional depth as he shows compassion towards someone, but then you will get a scene where after eating apple sauce which has been in the sun he vomits over some one. It is a curious blend which whilst not unwatch-able is a bit off and leaves you wondering whether someone took a serious drama about a teacher trying to raise funds and threw a few jokes in there.

Bas Rutten in Here Comes the Boom (2012)

But as I said "Here Comes the Boom" is watch able and much of that is thanks to Kevin James being such a likeable comedian and as such can pull off those moments of almost earnestness from his character. Yet at the same time can deliver the laughs as well as a side to his character which makes him a lazy romantic. That brings me to Salma Hayek who seems to love appearing in these simple comedies and steals a few scenes as does Henry Winkler. Although it has to be said that Bas Rutten steals most of his scenes with a physical performance which is funny because he is such a big man doing some very stupid stuff.

What this all boils down to is that "Here Comes the Boom" is entertaining but also curious as it feels like it is trying to be a comedy with a heart. It doesn't quite work but then the casting does and it is the performances which generate most of the laughs rather than the gags themselves.


LATEST REVIEWS