'The Bronze' Is Comedy, Er, Bronze

There’s one primary reason why I decided to watch The Bronze: Melissa Rauch.  I just love Bernadette, her adorable character in The Big Bang Theory, and I’m intrigued on what more she can do as a comedienne.  She not only stars in this movie – the first time that she’s ever headlined one –  but she also co-wrote the script.

The Bronze focuses on former gymnast Hope Ann Greggory (Melissa Rauch) who, years ago, won an unlikely Olympic bronze due to an inspiring performance she opt to execute despite suffering a career-ending Achilles injury.  This made her a household name, and is celebrated by her hometown ever since.  However, she never amounted to anything else after it.  At the present, she lives a spoiled, unproductive life living in her dad’s basement, stealing money from the mail that he delivers, and then roaming around town in her Team USA gym suit, milking whatever goodwill still remaining from her old achievement to get free food and products.

One day, though unwilling, she’s compelled to coach her town’s next big gymnast, Maggie (Haley Lu Richardson).  As a result, she is left with a very difficult decision to make: should she sincerely help this rising star to reach the success – i.e. Olympic gold medal – she never could, thus risking being replaced as the hometown’s darling, or should she sabotage her protégé’s training so that she can remain as the town’s sole star?

I actually think The Bronze has some layers of freshness in it.  It can be mean-spirited at times, but there’s some genuine heart thrown in the story.  There are moments when I thought the movie was being interesting.  However, the narrative was a drag in many parts, taking me out of those “moments.”

This movie has humor.  It has its share of chuckle-inducing scenes.  It notably has the most ridiculous sex scene I’ve ever seen in film – yes, more ridiculous than those in the Naked Gun, Hot Shots, and Zoolander movies.  However, all in all, it’s not hilarious.  It’s not even consistently amusing.  Its cringe-worthy attempts of comedy only further decrease the quality of its exhaustive story.

But in the end, The Bronze is not truly bad.  It’s just falls short of weighty enjoyability.

It actually has potential.  The character of Hope is not as lovable as The Big Bang Theory’s Bernadette, but she is fascinating and charming in her own way.  The premise is also somewhat original.  And there are elements here and there that feel the movie could have gone for the comedy gold if only the script had better jokes and a decent amount of fun.  Unfortunately, it only settled for a comedy bronze.