Dwayne Johnson coouldn\'t hold back the tears as A24\'s The Smashing Machine was met with praise and cheers at the Venice Film Festival. On Monday, September 1, the wrestler-turned-Hollywood A-Lister wept as his new film was hooted and cheered in Italy, with Variety calling the 15-minute ovation one of the longest of the festival. The emotional spectacle was compared to Brendan Fraser who was similarly emotional four years ago after the premiere of 2021\'s The Whale.
It wasn\'t just tears for Johnson in Venice on Monday. Earlier in the day, the former WWE Champion appeared on the red carpet and signed autographs and posed for selfies. Moments before the film began, a fan in the audience shouted “Can you smell what the Rock is cooking?!,\" earning a hearty laugh from the man of the hour.
The Smashing Machine shows a different side to Johnson, who is breaking away from his usual work in Hollywood action \'flicks\' and family-friendly cartoons. A description from the film from A24\'s website calls it \"The story of legendary mixed martial arts & UFC fighter Mark Kerr.\" The film sees Johnson as Kerr reunite with his Jungle Cruise co-star Emily Blunt, who plays Kerr\'s then-wife Dawn.
The biopic has earned rave reviews from criticis with some even saying that Johnson could soon be heading to the Oscars. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but Johnson\'s role is certainly turning heads.
