2/5 Barely a funny moment in the entire film
  by Roland E. Zwick (Valencia, Ca USA)
Done in the style of a 1970s mockumentary, "Finishing the Game" is based on the premise that, when Bruce Lee died in 1973 at the age of 32, he left behind twelve minutes of footage for a movie entitled "The Game of Death." Determined to bring Lee's final dream to fruition, a group of dedicated filmmakers set out to find a replacement for the star in the hopes of finishing the project. "Finishing the Game" is a fictionalized account of that search (the actual movie was released in 1978).

Unfortunately, beyond its spot-on `70s fashions and hairstyles, oh-so-groovy soundtrack and overall air of genial good-naturedness, "Finishing the Game" offers little of quality for anyone craving a good behind-the-scenes movie parody. Lacking both polish and finesse, the movie represents a major comedown for director Justin Lee after his stunning triumph with "Better Luck Tomorrow" a few years back. The half-hearted Josh Diamond screenplay scarcely makes an effort at being funny, and the concept itself is simply too thin to be successfully stretched out over even a relatively meager 84-minute-long running time.

Barely flash-in-the-pan cameo appearances by the likes of James Franco, MC Hammer and Ron Jeremy do little to support an otherwise likable cast. And there isn't even any decent martial arts action to make the movie much fun for fans of the genre being satirized.


1/5 i want 84 minutes of my life back!
  by akira900gt
yes, i want 84 minutes of my life back(the time it took to finish watching this sorry excuse for a movie). this movie is so stupid i'm not even kidding you. i wouldn't even recommend this to someone i hated. i have developed a high tolerance when it comes to movie viewing. meaning, i'll finish watching a movie no matter how bad it is. i must say that tolerance was put to the test here.

a bunch of wanna-be Bruce Lees come to audition as his "replacement" in an unfinished movie. about 80% of it is uninteresting interviews of these said wanna-be Lees. the remaining 20% is the actual auditions. this was supposed to be a comedy yet wasn't the least bit funny. don't listen to these other reviewers stating how "hilarious" this piece of garbage is.

please, do yourself a favor and don't watch this movie. let my suffering be worth something and keep you from suffering as well. if you like martial arts, comedies, or Bruce Lee don't watch this. seriously.

3/5 Amusing
  by Alan Starr (Lawrence, MA)
Amusing mockumentary. The setup: Bruce Lee recorded 12 minutes of a new movie before dying. The studio wants to hire a double to finish the project. This is a documentary of those auditions, where we meet varying prospective Bruce Lees (some who look like him, some... not so much.)

4/5 Captures 70's/80's B Movies Perfectly - Better Love That to Watch
  by Daniel G. Lebryk
If you love 70's / 80's B movies - oh this film is just perfect. If you remember that -sploitation (fill in the class, black, asian, women, etc.) era and cringe, just move on, don't watch this film. If you hate Ron Jeremy and seeing the edge of an adult film set compelete with full frontal male and female nudity, look the other way.

This is a paradoy of those B movies. They got the clothing, the lighting, the hair, the bad acting, the cars, the decor (the way walls were painted, furniture, et al), the film stock, the audio, the titles, and the editing absolutely 100% perfect spot on.

This is a cast of thousands, almost all B actors with long resumes in television or supporting actors in other films. James Franco shows up, probably the biggest name actor.

This got four stars simply because it's such a perfectly done throw back to an era of film making. It's short hour and 24 minutes to the point. There's some good laughs here and there. It feels a bit like a documentary, but is definately not real.

This film is R rated and then some. There's a lot of foul language. There is full male and female frontal nudity for exactly the reason a film might get and NC-17 rating. There's a small amount of violence, mostly in recreations of old television programs. Definately not a film for anyone younger than this rating.

The DVD is blissfully devoid of any special features.

5/5 Hilarious! Lin is a genius!
  by Dallas B. Decker (Long Island, NY)
Very funny movie on several levels. Looks at discrimination, which is very real and hurtful, and by laughing at it helps diffuse the hurt. Even the most unlikeable characters become real, and likeable. Finishing the Game is a great watch with a group of friends, and even better the second time. I nearly fell off my chair laughing a few times, but look for the subtleties as well. Goes far deeper than one might think, but is a lot of fun on every level.