The Machine (2023 film)

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.

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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.

Premise

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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

Aleksandar Srećković as Fedor

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 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.40/10. The website's 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]