Pain & Gain

Based on a true story, Pain & Gain follows the exploits of a driven body builder (Mark Wahlberg) who enlists the help of two other he–men (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Anthony Mackie) to use their motivational techniques to bilk a wealthy spa patron (Tony Shalhoub). Unfortunately, they aren’t the brightest bulbs, and their hapless attempts spiral out of control, leading to dire, tragic consequences. Oh…and it’s a comedy.

ClearPlay In Action!

My ClearPlay player is still recovering from the knock–down, drag–out with Pain’s content. Multiple scenes of bloody violence were trimmed, including some involving murder. A scene at a strip club is removed, as are several other scenes involving sensuality. Almost 120 F–words are cut, and about 170 other profanities, in almost every scene. But even with all those edits, Pain & Gain is about criminals doing criminal acts, and viewing should be limited to mature teens and older.

Will Pain & Gain pump me up?…

Pain & Gain is well made, but its content may alienate ClearPlay users. The movie attempts to make a black comedy out of some tragic circumstances. The problem is, there isn’t a counterbalance to the negativity. The movie is populated by damaged people. In weightlifting terms, after ClearPlay the characters are cleaner, but they’re still jerks.

Marty Nabhan — ClearPlay Fitness Guru

Rated R for bloody violence, crude sexual content, nudity, language throughout and drug use; 129 min; Directed by Michael Bay