Grudge Match – Movie Discussion

 

One part Grumpy Old Men, another part Rocky, Grudge Match was a hilarious romp with surprising gravity as it delivered its messages about life and forgiveness.

Razor and Kid were the two big boxers of their day.  They had fought two matches, and the results were split, so they planned a “tie breaker” match to see who the champion was…until Razor suddenly dropped out of the match.  Years later, circumstances and an obnoxious manager force the two to fight again.  That’s when we begin to understand why Razor bailed the first time.

It’s a classic story of how two wrongs (or three or four…) don’t make a right.  Back in the day, Razor was in love with Sally.  The only problem was that in his obsessive pursuit of boxing, he often neglected Sally.  She felt lonely and frustrated and in a moment of stupidity, she slept with his arch rival, Kid.  Razor quit her, and he quit boxing.  He quit boxing because he knew how much Kid wanted to beat him.  Kid needed that win so that he could know he was the best.  When Razor quit the match, he left Kid with that question unanswered, and it haunted him.

Razor hated Kid.  All those years, he hated Kid for taking Sally.  Of course, Sally was never really his.  She never cared about him, and never was with him again.  She always loved Razor, but Razor didn’t stick around to find that out.

In the end, as they had to face each other for the grudge match, they also had to face their pasts.  Kid had to face his irresponsibility.  He had to meet the son and grandson he never knew he had.  He had to face the fact that his sense of self-worth was wholly tied up in whether or not he was better than Razor.

Razor had to face Sally and their past.  He had to realize that much of it was his fault.  He had to face the fact that his unforgiveness had really only hurt himself…and that in the end, he had allowed Kid to take from him the two things he loved most:  Sally and boxing.

Grudge Match has a number of valuable life-lessons to discuss.  Here are a few of the themes, and some verses to go with them, along with questions to get you started in discussions.

Forgiveness: 

• Questions:
  • Who needed to forgive in Grudge Match?
  • Who had something they needed to be forgiven for in Grudge Match?
  • What does the Bible say about forgiveness?
  • Is there someone you need to forgive?  How hard is it to do that?
  • Is there some who you need to forgive you?  Have they been willing to?  Have you asked for their forgiveness?
  • Do you think Razor could have forgiven Sally and/or Kid if either of them had asked for it?
• Verses on Forgiveness
  • Colossians 3:13, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
  • Ephesians 4:31-32, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
  • 1 Corinthians 13:4 – 6, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
  • John 8:7, “When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’”

Bitterness

• Questions:
  • Who was bitter in Grudge Match?   Why?
  • How did bitterness affect the quality of that person’s life?   How did it affect other people’s lives?
  • Do you struggle with bitterness?  Why or why not?
  • What is the cure for bitterness?
• Verses on bitterness
  • Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
  • Hebrews 12:15, “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.”

Jealousy

• Questions:
  • Who was jealous in Grudge Match?   Why?
  • How did jealousy affect the quality of that person’s life?
  • What things or people tempt you to be jealous the most?
  • How different would your life be if you had no jealousy?
  • How can you keep from being jealous?
• Verses on jealousy
  • 1Corinthians 13:4, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it his not arrogant.”
  • Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
  • James 3:14-15, “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”
  • James 3:16, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
  • Proverbs 14:30, “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.”

Identity/Self-Worth:

• Questions
  • Kid’s sense of worth was wholly connected to whether or not women liked him, and his success in the boxing ring.  Why might this not be a good thing?
  • Where do you think Razor’s sense of worth came from?
  • Where does your sense of worth come from?  How’s that working out for you?
  • What are the things that define you?
• Verses relating to identity/self-worth
  • Genesis 1:27 , “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
  • Colossians 3:1-4, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
  • John 15:15, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”
  • John 15:15, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

Sex Outside of Marriage:

• Questions
  • How did sex outside of marriage affect everyone in the movie?
  • How might things have played out different if Sally had followed God’s plan and waited till marriage?
  • Sally used sex as a weapon, a way to get back at Razor for hurting her.  How should she have handled her problems with Razor?
  • Do you think God’s plan for sex within a marriage is outdated or irrelevant?  Why or why not?
  • Regardless of whether or not you think it’s necessary, how might sex only within the confines of a marriage be a good idea?
• Verses on sex outside of marriage
  • Hebrews 13:4, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”
  • 1 Thessalonians 4:1-18, “Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God”

Character/Responsibility/What is a good man?

• Questions
  • Grudge Match pits two men side by side.  One is an irresponsible playboy.  The other is a man of some character and integrity.  What are the pro’s and cons you see in each man?
  • Who do you like better?  Why?
  • If you had to liken the people you date to one or the other, who would they be more like?  Why do you think you choose the people you choose?
  • What do you think makes a man a good man?
  • Do you think that if a man truly lived like Jesus lived he would be a good (better) man?  Why or why not?
• Verses regarding character, responsibility and what a good man is
  • Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
  • Colossians 3:12-15,  “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
  • Titus 2: 2, “Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.”

Click here to read a collection of quotes from Grudge Match.

 by Stacey Tuttle