I became a fan of Mark Wahlberg in the late 90s when the priest who “saved” him moved into the parish that my parents attend. Wahlberg donated money to rebuild the school gymnasium, invited busloads of kids to attend the premier of Planet of the Apes, and attended a mass or two whenever he was in town.
The result was that the neighborhood kids adored him. Here was a guy who began life like they had and built himself into a brand. Mark Wahlberg was showing them a different way that said hard work will reap great rewards.
The movie is the story of a group of 3 personal trainers –Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson The Rock, and Anthony Mackie — who have grown tired of watching their clients fail at the gym but win at life.
Wahlberg’s character develops a get rich quick scheme after seeing a Tom Vu rip off and recruits the other two.
And, for the first 45 minutes, the movie kind of works. Some jokes fall flat, but many hit the mark. Aussie comedian Rebel Wilson appears as ridiculous love interest to Anthony Mackie, but she is overshadowed by the inanity of the leads and the ridiculous story upon which the movie is based. The Rock is a born again recovering cokehead who befriends the victims in an act of kindness for Jesus. Anthony Mackie is both sex obsessed and size obsessed — both above and below the waist — but suffers from a dysfunction that renders his character soft.
