Support for NPR and the following message comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

RWJF is a national philanthropy, working toward a future where health is no longer a privilege but a right.

Learn more at RWJF.org.

I told my friend I was going to see the screening of the smashing machine, and she was like,

oh, you mean the new Dwayne Johnson movie? And I was like, Dwayne Johnson, what do you call a Mr. T movie, the Lawrence Tyroo movie? Like, what are we doing right now? Like, you know what I mean? Hello, hello. I'm Brittany Luce and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture

and why it doesn't happen by accident.

All right, y'all, I promised a surprise episode in the feed today, and I am delivering.

A couple weeks ago, NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast asked me to go to the movies. They wanted me to see The Rock's new

film, The Smashing Machine, and then come on their show and pop off about it. And well,

I did. We rarely talk about specific movies on It's Been a Minute, so I thought this would be a cute treat for you all.

Here's Pop Culture Happy Hours Aisha Harris to get you clued in on what The Smashing Machine is all about.

The wrestling drama pulls out all the classic moods in the award season playbook. Biopic, struggles with addiction, facial prosthetics. We can smell what the rock is cooking, but is it a hearty enough meal? Joining me today is the host of NPR's It's Been a Minute, Brittany Luce. Welcome back, Brittany. Thank you. Good to be here. Also with us is one of the hosts of NPR's Code Switch

Podcast, Gene Demby. Welcome back to you, too. What's good with you, Isha. Great to have you. And rounding out the panel is freelance music and culture journalist Rihanna Cruz. Welcome back to you to Rihanna. Happy to be here. Yes, yes. Happy to have all of you. I feel like this is going to be a very fun, very interesting

conversation because this is a very, not fun, but interesting movie, I will say. So in the

smashing machine, Dwayne Johnson plays the real life Mark Kerr, a UFC champion who's known as

one of the early pioneers of mixed martial arts in the United States. Now, as Mark

reels from his first major loss in the ring, he's forced to confront an addiction to painkillers.

His single-minded focus on training for the next big fight also threatens his relationship with

his devoted but exasperated girlfriend Dawn, who's played by Emily Blunt. Big accent work going on here, I'm just going to say.

The Smashing Machine is the solo directorial debut of Benny Safty, who usually collaborates with

his brother Josh, and it's in theaters now. Rihanna, I'm going to start off with you. Just give me your

initial thoughts about this movie. I do want to say that I enjoy

...