3.5 out of 5

Scott Voss: He made ten grand for the fight? But he lost!
Niko: Yeah, if he'd won it would have been fifty.

Just like Rocky, Here Comes the Boom is not about a story, it's about the feeling you get from it walking out of the theater. It's about the determination within the central characters. Overall, both movies perfectly demonstrate a film with a weak plot, but the key to it is the feeling it generates for the audience once it is over.

The plot description for Here Comes the Boom may be a turn off. The movie stars Kevin James as Scott Voss, a high school biology teacher. The school is short on money and the music program must be cut. Because of Mr. Voss's respect for the friendly music teacher (Henry Winkler) , he decides to become a UFC fighter so that he can raise money to save the music program.

Scott Voss: I wanna fight mix martial arts.
Marty: This is crazy. Do you even know you can do this?
Scott Voss: No. No, I do not.

When it comes to "sweet" or "feel-good" live-action PG rated family movies, I am frankly, usually not one to give a rat's ass. Why? Well because, mostly those kinds of movies to me are just unfunny and awkward. But with Here Comes the Boom we get a fair amount of comedy and drama but it isn't too sappy or cheesy, and it actually feels real. You can call this a serious comedy or a light hearted drama and it wouldn't matter. And what makes the comedy work so well is the performances. Kevin James is still doing his "Doug Heffernan" thing but it doesn't bother me, it is just really cool to see him get into shape and win the respect of a bunch of generically written students!

Yes, the movie isn't very unpredictable or immensely intelligent, but it is very enjoyable to watch. I could easily watch it again if I had to. What can I say? It was a live-action family "feel good movie" that actually got me to feel good, and I think that deserves my appreciation.

Principal Becher: You're getting beat up in your bathing suit. You are embarrassing this school!
Scott Voss: This wasn't plan A, but I don't know what else to do!