Here Comes The Boom (2012)

JohnnyTwoToes likes this cliched but feel good movie 

Here Comes The Boom (2012)  stars Kevin James as a slacker biology teacher who turns to MMA (mixed martial arts!!!) to raise money for his school when budget cuts threaten the after school music program headed up by Henry Winkler.  Yes, a teacher with a heart of REAL gold!

There's also the pretty teacher that James likes played by Salma Hayek, the jerkoff principle played by Greg Germann, and of course an endless montage of training clips set to blood pumping music. We meet the kids in Scott Voss's (Kevin James) class and of course, the nerds are made fun of by the jocks, etc. You get the picture. Does anyone doubt he will win the big climatic fight? No, of course not. That is pretty much the plot of this predictable but feel good film from start to finish with every cliche in the book.

What still won me over for Here Comes The Boom, is the fact that even for all its silly short-comings, its still a sweet, innocent and enjoyable film because it is all heart. To start with, there is an inescapable charm from the characters starting with James as Scott Voss. Voss is a good hearted person who also teaches citizenship classes to help make ends meet, but he agrees to donate almost all of his winnings and extra money (is there such a thing?) towards the school. 

Bas Rutten, who is a former MMA champion in real life, is a student in Voss's citizenship class who reluctantly agrees to teach Voss, at least, how NOT to get killed in the ring. I mean, that would be MY first option. Rutten is a decent man who is struggling to learn about America's governmental system so one of Voss's smarter student agrees too help him learn while Voss is learning MMA. 

As I said HCTB is one big cliche after another. What are the odds that Voss gets the pretty teacher by the film's end? What are the chances that the mean principle and Voss will at least be friendly by the end of the film? The script, written by James, Allan Loeb and Rock Rueben does not try to be anything more than it is and Frank Coraci's direction is evenly paced and lighthearted. The acting is admirable and there are plenty of cute and sincere moments. 

Here Comes The Boom gets no notes for originality, but it is an honest film about helping others and giving something of yourself even when it causes great pain. It wont win any awards but it eventually wins you over and it is a good family film for a night in. Here Comes The Boom-*** out of 4.