By now I think we all know what to expect when we venture into the latest Happy Madison production.

It's the type of company that produce films that appeal to hard-core Adam Sandler fans as well as his friends, hence Kevin James whose latest offering Here Comes the Boom is far above the mediocrity of other Madison films resulting in a very enjoyable movie.

In Here Comes the Boom Kevin James plays a high school biology teacher that hopes to become a successful mixed-martial arts fighter in an effort to raise money for his school, which happen to be cutting extra-curricular activities due to budget cuts.

Now of course I went into this film with very low expectations but as I stated earlier I was really surprised by it. It's a nice film to watch that happens to be quite inspiring and that's something I never thought I'd say about a movie which Kevin James stars in. Believe it or not I'm actually a Kevin James fan, it just so happens to be that the movies he signs on for never show his full potential as an actor and whilst he's not going to be picking up any awards for his performance in this you couldn't really imagine anyone else in the role, he really does make it his own. In terms of acting the movie is full of funny, eccentric and likeable characters. Salma Hayek and Henry Winkler give a couple of solid performances but James really does the steal the show.

As a comedy a few of the jokes hit but there are the occasional ones that miss, however if you're not looking for laughs but something else it just so happens to be that Here Comes the Boom excels in the drama field. It's a heart-warming story that may be extremely predictable but it's definitely a lot of fun to watch. The fight scenes are very well shot and you really do root for James's character once he gets into the steam of things. It's a real crowd-pleaser that I imagine the casual movie goer will love.

Overall I was really impressed with Here Comes the Boom. Of course it's far from a triumph but for what it is it really surprised me and if you have nothing better to do this week I certainly recommend it.

7/10