The Smashing Machine (2025) with Scott and Drew

Episode 033: This week on Story Punk, we go the distance with The Smashing Machine (2025), directed by Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Ryan Bader. The film tells the story of real-life MMA and UFC legend Mark Kerr, focusing on his rise in combat sports, his struggle with opioid addiction, and the damage caused by his volatile relationship with girlfriend Dawn Staples.

In this episode, we discuss Dwayne Johnson’s most serious dramatic performance to date, the Oscar-nominated prosthetic makeup that transforms him into Mark Kerr, the emotional power of the Mark Kerr and Mark Coleman friendship, and how the movie handles themes of addiction recovery, trauma, toxic love, painkiller abuse, and the hidden human cost of early mixed martial arts.

We also talk about how The Smashing Machine compares to traditional sports biopics, why its fight scenes feel so different from movies like Rocky or Creed, and whether Benny Safdie’s stripped-down, intimate approach helps or hurts the movie overall.

If you’re a fan of sports movies, MMA films, UFC history, A24 dramas, Benny Safdie, Dwayne Johnson, or serious film discussion, this episode is worth a listen.