Legendary (2010)
Average Rating: 4.7/10
Reviews Counted: 42
Fresh: 7 | Rotten: 35
Maudlin, predictable, and clichéd, Legendary pins its talented cast under a heavy layer of formulaic schmaltz.
Average Rating: 4.4/10
Critic Reviews: 18
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 16
Maudlin, predictable, and clichéd, Legendary pins its talented cast under a heavy layer of formulaic schmaltz.
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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 2,978
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Movie Info
His family shattered by the tragedy that took his father, an unathletic teen from a blue-collar town decides to follow in the family tradition by becoming a high school wrestler in this inspirational family drama from WWE Studios. Mac Chetley was a state collegiate wrester with a promising future when he was killed in a car accident, and years later, his family still hasn't recovered from their loss. His son, Mike (John Cena), a once-promising high school wrestler, gave up grappling and ran away
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Cast
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John Cena
Mike Chetley -
Patricia Clarkson
Sharon Chetley -
Devon Graye
Cal Chetley -
Danny Glover
Red -
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Legendary Trailer & Photos
All Critics (42) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (7) | Rotten (35)
Follows a straight narrative line to its cliched ending without a deviation from formula.
Top CriticExactly what you might expect, right down to the montage of blindfolded tussling, jogging and high-fives to the tune of unrelenting inspirational music.
It may not live up to that grandiose title, but this rousingly sweet little flick is certainly nothing to go out of your way to avoid.
A by-the-numbers sports drama with a death grip on clichés and acting every bit as flat as the mat...
Patricia Clarkson's charismatic warmth elevates an awkward inspirational sports drama.
Better thesped and helmed than its schmaltzy premise probably warrants.
Cena?s a game actor, but imagining him in the same gene pool as the petite Clarkson or the scrawny Graye is too much of a stretch.
Not nearly cinematic enough or well-written enough to take that doozy of a step that so often separates "inspirational" and "hokey."
As schmaltzy after-school special/Hallmark Hall of Fame family fare goes, Legendary isn't so bad.
There is something comical about the way the movie tries to integrate Cena's massively muscled torso into its chosen atmosphere of casual realism. He looks like something out of Transformers.
Clarkson cries on cue, perhaps recalling what an awful film she's in.
Predictable but moving sports drama goes beyond wrestling.
Even in our current culture of devalued vocabulary, it takes a lot of chutzpah to make a movie about a high school kid who wins a few wrestling matches and title it 'Legendary.'
This isn't paint by numbers - it's color by numbers, with dull crayons. The only reason to see it is if you happen to want to be a Patricia Clarkson completist.
Stix Dig Hick Pix? A firmly Middle American high-school drama, set in small-town Oklahoma, about classical wrestling, starring a sports-entertainment wrestler and produced by World Wrestling Entertainment.
The kind of fake movie that you sometimes see in the background of real movies as a joke.
Every emotional moment is punctuated by plinking piano, and every wrestling match is underscored by hard rock.
An unpretentious film with a predictable storyline benefits from some sharp dialog and the always watchable Patricia Clarkson.
Riddled with as many predictable moves as any pro wrestling match...so trite a collection of cliches that it wouldn't even pass muster as a Hallmark special.
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Latest News on Legendary
September 9, 2010:
Critics Consensus: Guess Resident Evil: Afterlife's Tomatometer!This week at the movies brings only one wide release: The fourth installment of the zombie-infested...
September 9, 2010:
John Cena Talks LegendaryIn a recent interview with Moviefone, John Cena spoke about his new movie, "Legendary," predicted...
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The story here is that of the classic underdog. Cal is a runt whose father and brother were local wrestling gods, but he is not wrestling material. He feels he has something to prove though, so he tries to follow in his family's footsteps, and in the process tries to better his life, come of age, and get his estranged family back together. This is total Hallmark stuff, but I do applaud WWE Films for making somehting not related to the horror or action genres.
Graye is actually not bad as Cal. He's a convincing underdog. As Cal's brother Mike, John Cena brings some authenticity to the proceedings, despite his stiff acting and limited emotional range. Danny Glover is underused but it's nice to see him, even though his characters seems more like an angel than a human. Surprisingly though, it is Patricia Clarkson who really holds thigns together. She brings some needed weight and gravitas to things, even if she's put in better work elsewhere. Even though I think the character of Luli was mishandled and awkward, I don't totally blame Madeleine Martin. She's not great, but she's trying, and she seems like a nice and quirky girl, so there.
Like I said, this film is nothing new, but I was never bored. The wrestling scenes are well done and you can tell they put effort into bringing some realism and integrity to their portrayal. For this to be a great movie it just also needed a better script and some stronger performances. It will please most viewers though, I'm sure. It's relatively inoffensive, has a lot of heart, and there are a couple of scenes I really liked.
As Siskel and Ebert would sometimes do, I'm giving this a rare "thumbs sideways" because I'm just torn about it, and can't think of a better way to judge it.