The Hammer (2007 film)
The Hammer is a 2007 comedy film starring Adam Carolla and Heather Juergensen. It was directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld. Carolla plays a once-promising boxer, now a middle-aged construction worker, who attempts to join the U.S. Olympic boxing team.
The Hammer
Eric Ganz
Adam Carolla
Heather Juergensen
Marco Fargnoli
Rich Fox
The Weinstein Company
- April 2007 (Tribeca Film Festival)
- June 24, 2008 (United States)
88 minutes
United States
English
$443,591[1]
The film earned positive reviews during its limited theatrical release.
Production[edit]
Ferro's life is based on Adam Carolla's real experiences as a construction worker in L.A. The Hammer was conceived by Carolla and writer Kevin Hench. It was directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld and independently produced by Eden Wurmfeld, reuniting the team that created the 2001 independent hit, Kissing Jessica Stein. Filming was completed in late July 2006.
On the DVD commentary track, Carolla states that one of his favorite films is Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life (1991), and that with The Hammer he wanted to capture a similar message of not limiting one's life due to fears.
Release[edit]
The Hammer opened on 20 screens on March 21, 2008, and grossed $97,137 during its first weekend.[2] The following week, the film expanded to 34 theaters and had box office totals of $104,803. It was presented at the Victoria Film Festival in February 2008 and received the Audience Favourite Award. The film also played at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2007,[3] and received a positive review in Variety.[4] The film opened nationwide in the United States on March 21, 2008.[5]
The Hammer was released on DVD June 26, 2008.[6]
Critical reception[edit]
The Hammer received mostly positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 82% rating, based on 40 reviews.[7] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 57 out of 100, based on 12 reviews.[8] Jesse Thorn of the public radio show The Sound of Young America called The Hammer the best sports comedy of 2008.