In the series produced by HBO, the muscular superstar does not act but still retains his charm as a former player turned financial consultant.
Ballers – The series created by Stephen Levinson in the psychological- sports genre , launched in 2015. The series proves its enduring vitality when it lasts until the September premiere of this year. Many audiences are interested in Ballers because of the participation of Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) as the main actor and producer.
Shaking off the familiar action style on the silver screen, the actor muscled up the character with many internal scenes. According to CNBC, he received up to 650,000 USD per episode.
The Rock in the movie “Ballers”
In the film, rugby player Spencer Strasmore (The Rock) goes through a difficult life after retirement. He pursued a career in financial consulting, signing contracts and coaching teammates who were still playing in the Miami team, belonging to the NFL (American football league). He sticks closely with friends like Charles Greane (Omar Benson Miller) – a guy who lacks direction in life – and rookie Vernon Littlefield (Donovan W. Carter).
Instead of having the invincible power as in most movies, The Rock’s character in Ballers has traumatic obsessions, affecting his mental activities and causing him to have nightmares. However, to outsiders, Spencer still maintained a flashy look in conversations.
The work has many interesting negotiation scenes such as when Spencer patiently convinces Vernon to sign the contract. The character also has a dark side when sometimes willing to act for his own interests instead of the players.
Most critics consider The Rock to be a bright spot in acting with a confident look and a charming smile. This image is even close to himself in real life – a sports and movie star with a lot of experience in the market, contributing capital and participating in many projects. He also played rugby in the 1990s before turning to wrestling, then film.
In addition to The Rock, Rob Corddry was also praised for his role as Joe – Spencer’s friend and partner. This character is the “comedian” of the series with many witty dialogues.
Meanwhile, John DavidWashington makes the film more dramatic when he transforms into a hot-tempered, competitive player.
The Ballers series is highly appreciated for depicting the world of rugby – a game popular with Americans but still new in Vietnam and many Asian countries. The work takes the perspective of the players – who come to the sport with different motives, from love to money. Rugby players often fall into the “iron” situation when they have so much money that they don’t know what to spend. Some people compete successfully but have little life experience, or fall into the traps of others or cause scandals themselves.
Behind moments of glory, a life of material abundance and women, the players face the dangers of a collision sport. Some were injured and even had to retire early.
The work revolves around many aspects of a rather special life of the players – succeeding early but also “leaving the game” early when the mind is not very mature.
When the first season premiered, Ballers was appreciated by some players and critics. However, the film was not too tragic and painful, but quite bright and funny, suitable for viewing entertainment. Many episodes are quite exciting and feature hot pink balls – which is expected in a series about rugby.
In the US, the work is labeled TV-MA (17+) due to many “hot” scenes, including many scenes of The Rock with female co-stars.
Ballers’ picture quality was also positively reviewed as Peter Berg served as executive producer, while also controlling the overall filmmaking process. The filmmaker has made his mark with movies like Lone Survivor or Deepwater Horizon .
When Ballers was released, some European and American newspapers doubted the work’s prospects. However, 81% of critics praised the first season, prompting HBO to decide to extend the series. The following three seasons were also positively reviewed, continuing Spencer’s journey in the NFL.
On the personal page , TheRock excitedly shared that the series will have a season five. “I had to learn a lot to produce and star the work. But the important thing is that you (the audience) make it the highest-rated 30-minute series on HBO in many years.”
The Rock also shared his love and similarity with the character he plays: “I enjoyed every minute of playing Spencer because we are completely alike. We look you straight in the eye when shaking hands. If we promise to do something, it will be fulfilled. If you trick us, we will tear you apart.”
With a series of movies in the past two years such as Rampage, Skyscraper, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, Jumanji: The Next Level, The Rock is one of the superstars with the busiest schedules in Hollywood. Ballers is the only TV series he has accepted to star in in recent years.
Season five of the series will air from September this year on HBO with the title Vietnamese Rugby Player , and also appear on the HBO Go online system on the FPT Play platform.
Source: vtc.vn
