User blog:Hotsoup.6891/Pain and Gain Review Round Up



Do you feel it? Do you feel the pump? Grab your protein shakes and head down to the theater for the meathead-turned-outlaw crime drama/comedy, Pain & Gain, starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, and Anthony Mackie, directed by special-effects guru Michael Bay. But first, watch the trailer, check out what the critics are saying about it, and don't forget to add your own two-cents and participate in the Wikian polls at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!



The critics just aren't too... wait for it... pumped up about this one. There is a general consensus that no one likes Michael Bay movies. Still, there were a few kind words about this crime caper, so read on, find out exactly what everyone had to say, and don't forget to participate in the polls!

Rene Rodriguez - Miami Herald
3 of 4 Stars

Excerpt: This is easily Bay's best movie, the work of a filmmaker with a cracked sense of humor that he is able to share with the audience.

Ben Sachs - Chicago Reader
No Stars Given

Excerpt: Bay is no Paul Verhoeven, but he's coming from a similar place here, purposely amplifying the ugliest qualities of American culture.

A.O. Scott - New York Times
No Stars Given

Excerpt: It all leaves you pondering whether you have just seen a monumentally stupid movie or a brilliant movie about the nature and consequences of stupidity.

Claudia Puig - USA Today
2 of 4 Stars

Excerpt: A badly constructed, blood-spattered caper that comes unglued early on.

Michael Phillips - Chicago Tribune
1.5 of 4 Stars

Excerpt: After an hour of "Pain & Gain," it felt more like "Pain & Pain."

David Germain - Associated Press
No Stars Given

Excerpt: All but the faintest flashes of humanity and pathos are flattened by the cinematic cyclone that is Michael Bay.

Chris Hewitt (St. Paul) - St. Paul Pioneer Press
2 of 5 Stars

Excerpt: Watching "Pain & Gain" feels like being repeatedly hit in the head with a rock and injected with hallucinogenics while being forced to listen to loud dance music. In its defense, I think that's deliberate.

Wikian Opinions
What did you think of Pain & Gain? Loved it! Thought it was okay. Hated it! Haven't seen it yet, but I would. I would never go see that movie! How big is too big? Dwayne Johnson Mark Wahlberg Anthony Mackie Arnold Schwartzenegger Impossible