# The Machine (2023 film)
*The Machine* is a 2023 American action comedy film directed by Peter Atencio, starring stand-up comedian [Bert Kreischer](https://www.edgepedia.org/bert-kreischer) as a fictionalized version of himself, with [Mark Hamill](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-hamill) as his estranged father Albert and [Jimmy Tatro](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-tatro) as young Bert. It is based on Kreischer's signature stand-up routine, in which he recounts an encounter with Russian mobsters during a booze-soaked college trip to Russia.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023) The film was distributed by Screen Gems and released in the United States on May 26, 2023.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | Peter Atencio (director and producer); screenplay by Kevin Biegel and Scotty Landes, based on the comedy of Bert Kreischer[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11040844/fullcredits/) |
| Main cast | Bert Kreischer as himself, Mark Hamill as Albert, Jimmy Tatro as Young Bert, Iva Babić as Irina[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023) |
| Release | May 26, 2023 (US, wide); streaming release June 20, 2023[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023) |
| Box office | $10,458,331 domestic; $10,664,328 worldwide; $5,000,545 domestic opening[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt11040844/) |
| Reception | 31% Tomatometer (26 reviews) and 86% Popcornmeter (500+ verified ratings) on Rotten Tomatoes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023) |
| Technical details | 112 minutes, rated R, Dolby Atmos sound, 2.35:1 scope aspect ratio[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023) |
| Production companies | Balkanic Media, Screen Gems, Shaken Not Stirred, Legendary Entertainment[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The story is set 23 years after the events of Kreischer's stand-up bit, in which the drunken student Bert partied with Russian mobsters during a college semester abroad and came to be known as "The Machine."[4](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/themachine) In the film's present day, Bert is a family man whose comedy career stalls after he has his teenage daughter Sasha, who holds only a learner's permit, drive him home while he is drunk, and the traffic stop ends up on YouTube.[5](https://www.netflixmovies.com/the-machine-2023) He embarrasses Sasha at her Sweet Sixteen party, where his estranged father Albert unexpectedly arrives from Florida.[6](https://locable-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/resource/file/1055095/2023-06-09-Independent-Voice.pdf?timestamp=1694022922)
The Russian gangster Irina (Iva Babić) then appears, demanding a watch that Bert stole in Russia years earlier, a watch he has no memory of taking. She forces Bert and Albert back to Russia to retrace the steps of his younger self, in the middle of a war within a sociopathic crime family, while father and son try to find common ground in their fraught relationship.[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-machine) • [4](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/themachine) Sony's synopsis and marketing place the story 23 years after the original trip,[4](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/themachine) while IMDb's plot summaries describe it as 20 years later.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11040844/)
## Origin in Kreischer's comedy
The film adapts Kreischer's viral stand-up story about a college semester in Russia during which, according to the routine, he robbed a train with Russian mobsters.[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-machine-2023/critic-reviews/) The German database FILMSTARTS states that the routine has been viewed over 85 million times.[10](https://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/291999.html) Kreischer's heavy drinking and wild antics during college had earlier brought him notoriety through a *Rolling Stone* article, which resulted in [Oliver Stone](https://www.edgepedia.org/oliver-stone) buying the film rights to the story.[6](https://locable-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/resource/file/1055095/2023-06-09-Independent-Voice.pdf?timestamp=1694022922)
Kreischer plays himself on screen and produced the film together with his wife LeeAnn Kreischer, Judi Marmel, Cale Boyter, and director Peter Atencio; Jay Ashenfelter and Philip Waley served as executive producers.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11040844/fullcredits/) Although Kreischer's set is the source material, the screenplay was written by Kevin Biegel and Scotty Landes, a point some critics raised when assessing how much of Kreischer's comic voice came through.[11](https://filmfeeder.co.uk/film-reviews/review-the-machine-2023-dir-peter-atencio)
## Cast and crew
Jimmy Tatro plays young Bert in the flashback sequences. [Robert Maaser](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-maaser) plays Alexei, Stephanie Kurtzuba plays LeeAnn, Jess Gabor plays Sasha, Nikola Đuričko plays Igor, and [Martyn Ford](https://www.edgepedia.org/martyn-ford-bodybuilder) plays Sponge; [Oleg Taktarov](https://www.edgepedia.org/oleg-taktarov), Amelie Child-Villiers, Aleksandar Sreckovic, Set Sjöstrand, Rita Bernard-Shaw, and Mercedes De La Cruz round out the credited cast.[12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023/cast-and-crew) The crew includes cinematographer Eigil Bryld, editor Eleanor Infante, and composer Joseph Trapanese, who wrote the original music.[12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023/cast-and-crew)
## Release and box office
The film opened widely in the United States on May 26, 2023, with earlier releases in New Zealand and Germany on May 25.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt11040844/) • [10](https://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/291999.html) Its domestic opening weekend gross was $5,000,545, and it finished with $10,458,331 in the United States and $205,997 internationally, for a worldwide total of $10,664,328.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt11040844/) Sony Pictures Releasing was the domestic distributor.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt11040844/) It reached streaming on June 20, 2023,[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023) and later became available on subscription services including Hulu, fuboTV, and [YouTube TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/youtube-tv), with digital purchase and rental on Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango At Home.[13](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-machine-2023)
## Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 31% Tomatometer from 26 critics alongside an 86% audience score from more than 500 verified ratings, a wide gap between professional and audience assessments.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023) The site's critics consensus calls it "a sloppily lifeless movie that's strictly for hardcore Bert Kreischer fans," while the audience summary describes it as "over-the-top action comedy" that is "still plenty of very silly fun."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023) Reviewers split along similar lines: Todd McCarthy of Deadline found it "loud, gross, obnoxious and overbearing" yet also "disarming, quick-witted, fast moving and increasingly funny," while Christian Zilko of IndieWire gave it a C- and criticized the tonal clash between "fantastical absurdity" and "emotional confessions."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-machine-2023/critic-reviews/) Common Sense Media, reviewing it for parents, called it a clumsy action comedy with bloody violence, extremely strong language, and glamorized drinking and drug use, and recommended it for ages 17 and up.[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-machine)
## References
1. [The Machine (2023), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023)
2. [The Machine (2023) full cast and crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11040844/fullcredits/)
3. [The Machine, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt11040844/)
4. [The Machine, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/themachine)
5. [The Machine (2023) on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/the-machine-2023)
6. [Film review column, Dixon Independent Voice, June 9, 2023](https://locable-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/resource/file/1055095/2023-06-09-Independent-Voice.pdf?timestamp=1694022922)
7. [The Machine, Parents' Guide and Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-machine)
8. [The Machine (2023), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11040844/)
9. [The Machine critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-machine-2023/critic-reviews/)
10. [The Machine, Film 2023, FILMSTARTS.de](https://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/291999.html)
11. [Review: The Machine (2023, dir. Peter Atencio), Film Feeder](https://filmfeeder.co.uk/film-reviews/review-the-machine-2023-dir-peter-atencio)
12. [The Machine cast and crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_machine_2023/cast-and-crew)
13. [The Machine streaming: where to watch online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-machine-2023)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2023*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license