TIFF 2025: Can Dwayne Johnson Win Oscar Gold with ‘The Smashing Machine’?

TIFF 2025: Can Dwayne Johnson Win Oscar Gold with ‘The Smashing Machine’?

Before MMA and the UFC was dominated by right-wing sycophancy and podcast bros, it was the no-limits niche division of professional fighting long overshadowed by the soapy theatrics of the WWE. One of its earliest stars was Mark Kerr, a... Read more...

TIFF Review: Benny Safdie and Dwayne Johnson Compellingly Take a Documentary-Style Approach to 'The Smashing Machine' - Awards Radar

A24 Once upon a time, the UFC was not the giant sports industry that it is now. In the sport’s early days, the mixed martial artists and other tough guys competing did so in something more closely resembling anonymity. That obviously begs the question of why these guys would put their bodies through such carnage? Well, The Smashing Machine, playing currently at the Toronto International Film Festival, seeks to answer that question. In doing so, …

The Smashing Machine (TIFF) Review: Dwayne Johnson reinvents himself with an incredible performance

PLOT: The story of Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson), an MMA fighter whose meek, affable nature hides the fact that in the ring, he’s a brutal opponent who’s used to being able to dominate all comers. REVIEW: We’ve seen a lot of movies about fighters, but they all tend to follow a specific formula. Usually, they are about preparing for a big, life-changing fight, and more often than not end in triumph. But what happens after the fight? How does life go…

TIFF 2025 – Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Benny Safdie Attend “The Smashing Machine” Premiere

Photos by: Myles Herod – Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Benny Safdie attended “The Smashing Machine” premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival last night (Sept. 8th). In one of the year’s most unexpected team-ups, indie icon Benny Safdie and star Dwayne Johnson unite for The Smashing Machine, the powerful and gritty account of … Continue reading →

‘The Smashing Machine’ smashes Toronto, solidifying Dwayne Johnson’s Best Actor frontrunner status as trailer debuts

Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Benny Safdie attended the film's TIFF premiere.