The Hammer

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The Hammer ★★½ 2007 (R)

After getting dumped by his girlfriend on his 40th birthday, carpenter/boxing instructor Jerry Ferro (Carolla), aka “The Hammer” quits his lousy day job for a return to the ring with Olympic hopes. He soon sparks up a romance with one of his students (Juergensen) and catches the eye of big-time boxing coach Eddie Bell (Quinn), who takes him under his wing. Not so much a spoof of triumphant sports movies, but a realistic underdog comedy that works as a goofy “Rocky” tribute. Nearly semi-autobiographical, written by Carolla, an actual former Golden Glover (and carpenter), who plays his usual self-deprecating, snarky self with surprising success. 93m/C DVD . US Adam Carolla, Heather Juergensen, Jonathan Hernandez, Oswaldo Castillo, Tom Quinn, Raimu; D: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld; W: Kevin Hench; C: Marco Fagnoli; M: John Swihart, Matt Mariano.