The Machine (2023 film)
The Machine (2023 film) | |
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File:TheMachine2023poster.png
Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Peter Atencio |
Produced by | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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Screenplay by | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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Based on | the comedy of Bert Kreischer |
Starring | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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Music by | Joseph Trapanese |
Cinematography | Eigil Bryld |
Edited by | Eleanor Infante |
Production
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Distributed by | Screen Gems (through Sony Pictures Releasing) |
Release dates
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Running time
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112 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $20 million[2] |
Box office | $10.7 million[3][4] |
The Machine is a 2023 American action comedy film directed by Peter Atencio, inspired by the 2016 stand-up routine of the same name created by Bert Kreischer. The film stars Kreischer as a fictionalized version of himself, with Mark Hamill, Jimmy Tatro, Iva Babić, Stephanie Kurtzuba and Jessica Gabor.
Following its viral success, Legendary Entertainment acquired the rights of Kreischer's true story stand-up routine into a feature film adaptation in September 2018. Most of the lead cast members were hired from April to June 2021. Filming began in Serbia in April 2021 through Balkanic Media.
The Machine was released in the United States on May 26, 2023, by Sony Pictures Releasing.
Contents
Premise
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In 1999, college freshman Bert Kreischer goes on a trip to Russia. During a night of hard partying, Bert befriends a tour guide named Igor along with his friends and becomes "The Machine", a legend in Russian folklore.
Twenty-three years later, Bert is now a stand-up comedian and podcaster, having turned his story into a comedy special that goes viral on YouTube. Bert is in a tense relationship with his wife and elder daughter Sasha. While at a family cookout, Bert is unexpectedly reunited with his estranged father Albert, despite their tense relationship.
Bert is then confronted by Irina, a Russian mobster. It is soon revealed that Bert inadvertently stole an antique pocket watch belonging to Irina's father, an act which led to the start of his own organized crime syndicate. Seeking revenge, Irina kidnaps Bert, along with his father, with the intention of punishing Bert for his wrongdoings, upon arrival in Russia.
Cast
- Bert Kreischer as himself
- Mark Hamill as Albert, Bert's father
- Jimmy Tatro as young Bert Kreischer[5]
- Iva Babić as Irina, a mobster[6]
- Robert Maaser as Alexei, Irina's brother[5]
- Stephanie Kurtzuba as LeeAnn
- Martyn Ford as Sponge
- Jessica Gabor as Sasha, Bert's eldest daughter
- Rita Bernard Shaw as Ashley[5]
- Nikola Đuričko as Igor[5]
- Oleg Taktarov as Train Igor[5]
- Amelie Villiers as Tatiana,[5] Bert's younger daughter
- Marko Nedeljkovic as young Igor
- Mercedes De La Cruz as a teacher[5]
Production
In September 2019, Legendary Entertainment acquired the rights to develop comedian Bert Kreischer's true story stand-up routine into a feature film adaptation following its viral success.[7] In April 2021, Peter Atencio was hired to direct and produce the film with Kreischer and Judi Marmel.[8][9][10] Kevin Biegel and Scotty Landes wrote the film.[11] Joseph Trapanese composed the film's original score.[12]
In April 2021, Kreischer was set to play himself and Mark Hamill was cast as Bert's father, Albert Kreischer Sr.[8] Jess Gabor was cast as Bert's daughter.[11] In May and June 2021, Stephanie Kurtzuba, Mercedes De La Cruz and Jimmy Tatro were cast in the film.[13][14][15] Principal photography took place in Serbia in April 2021.[11][15][16]
Release
The Machine was released in the United States on May 26, 2023, by Screen Gems.[17][18]
Box office
The film was a box-office bomb. In the United States and Canada, The Machine was released alongside The Little Mermaid, Kandahar, About My Father, and You Hurt My Feelings. The film was projected to gross around $5 million from 2,409 theaters over its four-day Memorial Day opening weekend.[19] The film made $2.2 million on its first day, $5 million in the traditional weekend, and $5.9 million over the four-day frame.[20] In its second weekend, the film declined 66% to $1.7 million, finishing in eighth place.[21][22]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 33% of 24 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.40/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A sloppily lifeless movie that's strictly for hardcore Bert Kreischer fans, The Machine is broken beyond repair."[23] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 37 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[24] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a "B+" grade at the A+ to F scale, while PostTrak gave the film an overall 78% positive score, with 60% saying they would definitely recommend it.[2][25]
References
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External links
- Official website
- The Machine at IMDbLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Articles with short description
- Use American English from August 2023
- Articles with invalid date parameter in template
- All Wikipedia articles written in American English
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- Pages with broken file links
- 2023 films
- English-language films
- Articles using small message boxes
- WikiProject Film articles with Rotten Tomatoes links
- Official website not in Wikidata
- American action comedy films
- Comedy films based on actual events
- 2020s English-language films
- Films about the Russian Mafia
- Films scored by Joseph Trapanese
- Films set in Russia
- Films shot in Serbia
- Legendary Pictures films
- Screen Gems films
- Films shot in Belgrade