Netflix's #2 Movie Surprises Audiences With True Underdog Story

By Aaron Perine

Netflix has a very surprising title in the Top 10 this week, and it features a beloved actor. In the number 2 slot, Kevin James' Here Comes The Boom is standing tall. That's right a little-remembered film from 2012 is hanging tough and outperforming Squid Game and some other heavy-hitters. Along the course of the pandemic, viewers have seen some strange titles grace the Netflix Top 10. Fun movies that got forgotten to time like Real Steel made a real impact over the course of the last couple of years. It's always interesting to see what projects get that push from the algorithm. Now, it's not crazy to think that James' movies always find themselves surfing around the service. His comedies have endeared himself to audiences all across the nation. One fun wrinkly in Here Comes The Boom is that the funny man gets to flex his dramatic muscles as well. It's not all just slapstick gags for James in the 2012 feature. (Although there are still some laugh-out-loud funny bits to be had.) In a time where people are trying to appreciate teachers more and more, the scenes with reflections on how to help communities and the students who live there stand out.

In a conversation with The CW's Twin Cities affiliate, James confessed that he really had to change his lifestyle for this role. "Yeah, I had to get in shape for this one. About 14 months out, we started to change my diet and I've since obviously changed back," he joked.

"I love tomato sauce, I can't help myself. But, the UFC gave us their blessing. We wanted to make it true to form. Really make it look…not like I could just be some chubby guy who walks off the street and into the Octagon and compete. We worked really hard. We trained with all the real UFC guys and we worked at sparring, fighting, and lifting. Everything. It was really a cavalcade of working out man."

Check out the synopsis for Here Comes The Boom right here:

"Once a collegiate wrestler, Scott Voss (Kevin James) is now a 42-year-old, apathetic biology teacher in a failing high school. When cutbacks threaten the school's music program and its teacher (Henry Winkler), Scott springs into action. He dusts off his long-unused wrestling skills and earns money for the program by moonlighting as a mixed martial arts fighter. Though the school nurse (Salma Hayek) thinks he's crazy, Scott gains something he never expected, and the school rallies behind him."

Have you seen this movie on Netflix this week? Let us know in the comments! 

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