Pop Culture Happy Hour – “The Smashing Machine And What's Making Us Happy”

Date: October 3, 2025
Host: NPR
Panel: Aisha Harris (host), Brittany Luse, Gene Demby, Rhianna Cruz

Overview of the Episode

This episode dives into the new film “The Smashing Machine”, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as legendary UFC fighter Mark Kerr. The panel examines Johnson’s bid for critical acclaim, the film's subversion of sports-movie tropes, and whether the story justifies itself beyond awards season ambitions. The show ends with everyone’s “What’s Making Us Happy” picks for the week.

Main Discussion: “The Smashing Machine”

[01:48]
Aisha Harris introduces the film as Benny Safdie’s directorial solo debut. Dwayne Johnson plays Mark Kerr, an early pioneer of mixed martial arts who is wrestling not only in the octagon but also with addiction and a strained relationship, played against Emily Blunt.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Johnson’s Performance and Oscars Ambitions

• Return to 'Capital A' Acting

  • Rhianna Cruz [02:43]: "I saw the Smashing Machine as a return to the Rock. Capital A acting, as you referred to it. ... I was excited, and I liked it. Question mark with an asterisk."
  • Rhianna enjoys “The Rock” stepping into serious roles and compares to his earlier work in “Southland Tales” and “Pain and Gain.”
  • The panel agrees this is a clear play for awards recognition, with Gene Demby noting:
    Gene Demby [03:48]: “Who is this for? ... The Academy.”

• On the Biopic’s Focus

  • Gene Demby [03:52]: “Why this dude? Apparently, he was a good fighter, but not, like, all time great… All of the sort of big, sort of hinge moments in the plot happened, like, in the first 30, 40 minutes."
  • The early film covers most of Kerr’s turmoil—making the second half feel somewhat redundant for some panelists.

2. Character Depth and Storytelling Gaps

• Missing Motivation

  • Brittany Luse [04:50]: "I understood the objective of the character, but I [don't] understand, like, the deeper reason why he did anything that he did. Like, why did he wrestle? ... We are not let in on a deeper motivation."
  • Brittany notes that, despite a competent performance, both the character and underlying motives remain frustratingly opaque.

• Awards-Bait Aesthetics

  • Aisha observes the production’s focus on words like “transformation” and “prosthesis” in press materials as further evidence of awards targeting.
    Aisha Harris [07:09]: "These are the words you use when you are trying to get awards."

3. Rock vs. Mark Kerr: Blurring Persona Lines

• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Star Identity
  • Aisha Harris [07:17]: “I don’t actually think the Rock is transforming all that much in this movie. ... This could have been a movie about Dwayne the Rock Johnson, more so than it could be about this guy I’ve never heard of until this movie.”
  • The Rock’s singular star persona seeps into the role, making it difficult to distinguish between actor and character.

4. Question of Perspective and Race

• Unexplored Identity
  • Brittany Luse [09:13]: “The character's hair is curlier than the Rock's hair...I found out later the man [Mark Kerr] is Puerto Rican. ... The Rock, like, he's raceless in his public persona...But then in a movie about a [Puerto Rican MMA star], the fact that that was completely unexplored and completely untouched, who even is this guy?”
  • Both Brittany and Rhianna point out that Kerr’s Puerto Rican heritage goes unmentioned, an odd omission given the casting and cultural specificity.

5. Supporting Cast, Relationships, and Subverting Tropes

• Emily Blunt’s Role

  • Brittany Luse [11:41]: "The most long suffering girlfriend."
  • Panel jokes about the trope of the “long-suffering girlfriend” in fight movies; Blunt tries her best but isn't given much to work with.

• MMA Realism

  • Praise for Ryan Bader, a real MMA fighter cast as Mark Colman, bringing authenticity to the ring.

6. Aesthetic and Soundtrack

• Subverting Expectations

  • Aisha Harris [13:04]: “The soundtrack, I have to say, is quite great.”
  • Rhianna Cruz [13:04]: "I agree. ... The jungle land needle drop really floored me early on."
  • The panel loves the mix of jazz and Latin freestyle, highlighting Nala Seneffro’s score and needle-drops like Lil Suzie’s “Take Me In Your Arms” as both subversive and era-specific.

• Visual Style

  • The use of film and VHS, contrasting textures, is seen as an attempt to invoke 1970s cinema and push back against typical biopic gloss.

7. Comparison to Other Wrestler-Actors

• Dave Bautista & John Cena
  • Brittany Luse [16:16]: “The Rock’s tether is Dave Bautista…He has something very soulful about him. ... I have to contend with [Johnson] being the Rock before I even get to him being Dwayne Johnson the actor before I can then even get to the character."
  • Bautista’s willingness to take smaller, less ego-driven roles lets him access a kind of cinematic vulnerability and transformation that remains elusive for The Rock.

8. Final Thoughts

• The team appreciates the film’s energy, sense of “primordial MMA grubbiness,” and some moments of subversion—but remains unconvinced of its necessity, much less its depth.
• Aisha Harris [14:59]: "Even if we don't fully understand Mark Kerr's motivations...with any sport that's not gonna get you highly paid, you have to be obsessed with it or else why are you doing it? It does kind of get at that, I think."
• Consensus: An engrossing watch, but its muddled purpose and lack of emotional anchoring stall it from true greatness.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On why the film exists:
  Gene Demby [03:52]: “I was like, but why this dude?”
• On The Rock’s Oscar push:
  Aisha Harris [03:48]: “Who is this for? I think we know who it’s for, right?”
  Unison: “The Academy.”
• On the lack of cultural context:
  Brittany Luse [09:13]: “The Rock, like, he's raceless in his public persona...the fact that that was completely unexplored and completely untouched, who even is this guy?”
• On the movie’s subversion:
  Aisha Harris [08:58]: “Every time you think this movie is gonna zig, it zags. And every time you think...this is gonna be an addiction story. Actually, no, it's more about...a recovery story. And I found that both frustrating, but also I appreciated that it didn't feel like your typical sports biopic.”
• On comparing wrestler-actors:
  Brittany Luse [16:16]: “Whereas, like, I have to contend with him being the Rock before I even get to him being Dwayne Johnson the actor before I can then even get to the character.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:48] – Introduction to "The Smashing Machine"
• [02:43] – Panel's Initial Reactions, including "Capital A acting"
• [03:48-04:47] – Gene and Brittany on purposelessness and exteriority
• [07:06] – Award-season campaign tactics
• [09:13] – Panel discusses race and the film’s cultural blankness
• [13:04] – Praise for the soundtrack and visuals
• [16:16] – In-depth comparison of Dwayne Johnson, Dave Bautista, and John Cena

What’s Making Us Happy This Week

[20:43]
A beloved Pop Culture Happy Hour segment with this week’s picks:

• Rhianna Cruz:
  Dead of Winter (film)
  “[Emma Thompson] sees a girl get taken, and she makes it her mission to free this girl. It's a pretty good flick, pretty solid. ... I've been thinking about it all week.” [21:14]

• Gene Demby:
  Football Manager (video game)
  "Imagine playing a game about soccer, but 75% of the game is answering emails and filling out spreadsheets...This is the closest sports game to [The Sims]." [22:04]

• Brittany Luse:
  Rochelle Jordan – Through the Wall (album)
  “Really breathy, but precise and beautiful vocals over really groovy, but still, like, beats that hit...I just feel like it's a perfect pairing.” [22:46]

• Aisha Harris:
  Mariah Carey – Here for It All (album)
  “It finally seems like she's acknowledging and accepting that her voice is not what it once was. ... She's being sassy, she's being petty.” [23:56]

Episode Tone

Upbeat, playful, and smartly critical, the panel balances genuine admiration for spectacle and performance with an unflinching look at Hollywood's awards machinery and the limits of current biopic storytelling. Their camaraderie and deep knowledge keep the mood light even as they probe the film’s missed opportunities.

End summary.