Critics Are Saying Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Is An Actual Oscars Contender Thanks To This Film

Dwayne Johnson at the premiere of The Smashing Game at the Venice Film Festival on Monday nightIn a move that would probably be unfathomable 20 years ago when he first turned his back on wrestling to devote himself to acting full time, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been tipped for an Oscar in his latest on-screen role.The last two decades have seen The Rock appearing in everything from the Fast & Furious franchise to Disney’s Moana movies, becoming the highest-paid actor in Hollywood in the process.But for his latest role, in the sports biopic The Smashing Machine, he’s already receiving waves of critical acclaim, which hasn’t always been able to come by for the WWE star.In the film, The Rock plays wrestler and martial artist Mark Kerr, with the movie receiving a 15-minute standing ovation when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Monday night, moving the actor to tears.Dwayne Johnson weeps during the 15-minute #Venezia2025 standing ovation for ‘The Smashing Machine.’ This was the most emotion we’ve since on the Lido since Brendan Fraser launched his Oscar campaign here four years ago for ‘The Whale.’ pic.twitter.com/BzAjB4v6uk— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) September 1, 2025Many reviews of the film have also mentioned The Rock in connection with a potential Oscar nomination.Variety asked on Monday night: “Is The Rock headed to the Oscars? Judging by the rapturous reaction to his performance in The Smashing Machine at the Venice Film Festival on Monday night, that seems to be the consensus out of Italy.”Similarly, the BBC also described his performance as “Oscar-worthy”, writing in its own review: “Don’t be surprised if Johnson is Oscar-nominated. His Hollywood blockbusters have raked in billions of dollars, so this serious, nuanced role gives his peers an obvious chance to reward him for his lucrative career.”And The Independent was similarly effusive, describing The Rock as a potential “future Oscar winner” and saying that The Smashing Machine is “bound to win him awards recognition”.BBC News quoted The Rock as saying in Venice: “I’ve been scared to go deep and intense and raw until now, until I had this opportunity to do [this film].”He added: “When you’re in Hollywood, as we all know, it had become about box office and you chase the box office. And the box office in our business is very loud, it can be very [overwhelming].“It can push you into a corner and category - ‘This is your lane, this is what you do, and this is what people want you to be and this is what Hollywood wants you to be’.“And I understood that, and I made those movies and I liked them and they were fun, and some were really good and did well, and some not so good! But I think what I did realise is I just had this burning desire and this voice that was just saying, ‘what if there’s more, what if I can?’“Sometimes it’s hard to know what you’re capable of when you’ve been pigeon-holed into something. It’s harder to know ‘wait, can I do that? I feel like I can’. And sometimes it takes people who you love and respect to say ‘you can’.”The Smashing Game reunites The Rock with his former Jungle Cruise co-star Emily Blunt, as well as professional fighters Ryan Bader, Oleksandr Usyk and Bas Rutten.MORE FILM NEWS:Jude Law Jumps To Defence Of New Film In Which He Plays Vladimir PutinPierce Brosnan Had The Same Thought As Everyone Else When He Was Cast In The Thursday Murder ClubHarry Potter Director Insists Reunion Would Be 'Impossible' Due To JK Rowling Controversy

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