The Machine is a 2023 American action comedy directed by Peter Atencio, inspired by Bert Kreischer’s 2016 stand-up routine of the same name. Two decades after his college days, stand-up comedian Bert finds himself in a predicament when he and his father are kidnapped by someone he wronged during a drunken escapade in Russia. After it’s viral success, Legendary Entertainment secured the rights to turn Kreischer’s stand-up into a feature film in September 2018. The Machine (2023) is a flop at Box Office.
The majority of the main cast was assembled between April and June 2021, with filming commencing in Serbia in April 2021 through Balkanic Media. The Machine premiered in the United States on May 26, 2023, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing under the Screen Gems label. Unfortunately, it garnered predominantly negative reviews from critics.
