Knucklehead review (DVD) ★★

Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
Stars Paul “Big Show” White, Mark Feuerstein, Melora Hardin, Denis Farina, Bobb'e J Thompson,
Wendie Malick, Rebecca Creskoff, Lester Speight | Written by Bear Aderhold, Tom Sullivan & Adam Rifkin
UK Certification 12 | UK RRP £15.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 100 minutes | Directed by Michael W Watkins

The second WWE Studios production alongside Samuel Goldwyn Films, Knucklehead follows the disposable drama of Legendary with derivative comedy, a seen-it-all-before storyline and a cast of name actors who mostly don't live up to their past roles, that is except for WWE Superstar The Big Show, who manages to be quite watchable (and incredibly goofy) in his first starring role.

The very first of its genre that the film-making arm of World Wrestling Entertainment has produced, the movie sees The Big Show portraying the bumbling 35-year-old Walter Krunk, who stands seven feet tall and tips (or quite possibly ruptures) the scales at 450 pounds. Having been without his parents since he was a child, Krunk lives, works and generally has a carefree time at the orphanage that took him in when he was younger. But when a fire burns out the only kitchen on the premises, a building inspector reluctantly grants the orphanage 10 days to have a new one installed, else he'll shut the place down. Heavily in debt and with no funds available to buy a new kitchen, it looks like there is no option in sight for Walter and his friends. That is until they cross paths with a somewhat seedy individual (Feuerstein) who himself owes money – except to a criminal ringleader – and is neck-deep in the wild world of mixed martial arts as a manager. After laying eyes on the colossus that is Krunk, the idea springs into his mind to take the giant of a man to New Orleans to fight for a $100,000 purse. Convincing Walter's friends to allow him to fight by offering them half of the prize money, it looks like they may have just found a solution to all their financial troubles.

Knucklehead as a title has many connotations and each of them apply perfectly to the film. It's an hour-and-a-half of scatterbrained silliness that pertains to each generic cliché, yet it still somehow works. It's not hilarious nor a “Knock Out Comedy” as the tagline proclaims, but there are a few giggle-worthy moments here and there, especially if you're a sucker for PG toilet humour. It's a light-hearted family comedy, perfectly watchable with its tried and tested formula, but still a very dumb creative effort devoid of any originality.

EXTRAS ?? A blooper reel; two behind the scenes features: Welcome to the Show and Bearly Surviving; a photo gallery; and an audio commentary track.