# The Roaring Game (film)
**The Roaring Game** is a 2026 American sports comedy film written and directed by Tom DeNucci, starring [Darin Brooks](https://www.edgepedia.org/darin-brooks) as a high school janitor who assembles a misfit curling team to win back his girlfriend, a hockey player chosen for Team USA at the [World Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-games).[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33662494/) • [2](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-roaring-game/NWfY74RL4ZuuLsAsKl4qe1/where-to-watch/) The cast includes [Mickey Rourke](https://www.edgepedia.org/mickey-rourke), Justin Chatwin, Fivel Stewart, Eddie Kaye Thomas, William Forsythe, and former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33662494/) The title comes from a traditional nickname for curling: the playing surface is pebbled rather than smooth, so the granite stone makes a roaring sound as it travels.[3](https://nornow.org/2026/03/06/rom-com-curling-film-released-with-olympics/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Tom DeNucci, who also wrote the screenplay[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33662494/) |
| Lead cast | Darin Brooks (Rickey Rhodes), Mickey Rourke (The Plow King), Justin Chatwin (Troy Samson), Fivel Stewart (Kelly)[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-roaring-game/umc.cmc.44itg238f508n0r70puy9k0m7) |
| Genre and runtime | Comedy, drama, sport; 1 hour 35 minutes[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-roaring-game/umc.cmc.44itg238f508n0r70puy9k0m7) |
| Festival premiere | August 9, 2025, Rhode Island International Film Festival[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33662494/releaseinfo/) |
| US release | February 6, 2026, in limited theaters and on digital/VOD; DVD and Blu-ray on March 10, 2026[6](https://www.movieinsider.com/m25075/the-roaring-game) |
| Distributor | Brainstorm Media (North America)[7](https://www.verdifilms.com/post/the-roaring-game-starring-mickey-rourke-and-rob-gronkowski-lands-north-american-distribution-via-b) |
| Production companies | Verdi Productions, LaSalle Productions, Hyperborea Films[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_roaring_game) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Rickey Rhodes (Darin Brooks) is a high school custodian and former college hockey player who has fallen on hard times. He has told his girlfriend, Kelly (Fivel Stewart), a professional hockey player, that he works as a bounty hunter, and the lie unravels when Kelly is selected to play hockey for Team USA at the World Games.[2](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-roaring-game/NWfY74RL4ZuuLsAsKl4qe1/where-to-watch/) • [9](https://www.filmgatereviews.com/2026/02/the-roaring-game-movie-review.html) To win her back, Rickey assembles a curling team of misfits and uses his sweeping skills, developed on the job, to compete for a gold medal.[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-roaring-game/umc.cmc.44itg238f508n0r70puy9k0m7) In the film's version of events, Rickey turns to his father, a mob boss just out of prison, for $10,000 to fund the team and enter the Team USA qualifiers.[9](https://www.filmgatereviews.com/2026/02/the-roaring-game-movie-review.html) The qualifying rounds and matches pit the Rhodes team against teams from Canada, Jamaica, China, Germany, and Russia.[3](https://nornow.org/2026/03/06/rom-com-curling-film-released-with-olympics/)
## Production and release
Filming took place in [Rhode Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/rhode-island), with the shoot running from September 16 to October 5, 2024, and the production announced in October 2024 that filming had wrapped.[10](https://www.filmweb.pl/film/The%2BRoaring%2BGame-2025-10107322) • [11](https://www.sweettoothcollectibles.net/filmography) The curling scenes were shot in Cranston, Rhode Island, where the filmmakers converted a hockey rink into a curling rink with new ice and markings; a team from the Norfolk Curling Club in Norfolk, Connecticut, provided technical assistance to make the on-ice action look authentic.[3](https://nornow.org/2026/03/06/rom-com-curling-film-released-with-olympics/)
In November 2025, Brainstorm Media picked up the film for North American distribution and set a February 2026 release. Producer Chad A. Verdi of Verdi Productions said the date was chosen to coincide with the Winter Olympics.[7](https://www.verdifilms.com/post/the-roaring-game-starring-mickey-rourke-and-rob-gronkowski-lands-north-american-distribution-via-b) The film premiered at the Rhode Island International Film Festival on August 9, 2025, then opened in limited US theaters and on digital platforms on February 6, 2026, with a DVD and Blu-ray release on March 10, 2026.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33662494/releaseinfo/) • [6](https://www.movieinsider.com/m25075/the-roaring-game) It later streamed on Amazon Prime Video and Tubi, among other services.[12](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-roaring-game)
## Cast
Darin Brooks plays Rickey; his character wears jersey number 7, the same number Brooks wore as Alex Moran in *Blue Mountain State*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33662494/) Mickey Rourke plays a figure called The Plow King, Justin Chatwin plays Troy Samson, Kelly's hockey coach, and [Rob Gronkowski](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-gronkowski) plays Nickey.[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-roaring-game/umc.cmc.44itg238f508n0r70puy9k0m7) The supporting cast includes [Eddie Kaye Thomas](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-kaye-thomas) as Bobby, William Forsythe as the Coach, Vanessa Angel as Katrina Cole, Antwon Tanner as Hank, John Fiore as Uncle Jerry, and [Paul Johansson](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-johansson) as Dean Ted Nelson.[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-roaring-game/umc.cmc.44itg238f508n0r70puy9k0m7) Producers were Paul Luba, Chad Verdi Jr., Chad A. Verdi, and Michelle Verdi, with Sera Verdi as executive producer; Marcus Friedlander was the cinematographer, Paul Stamper the editor, and David Bateman the composer.[13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33662494/fullcredits/)
## Reception
Professional critics reviewed the film unfavorably. On Rotten Tomatoes the film carried four published critic reviews, with grades including D+ from Brian Orndorf of Blu-ray.com, who wrote that the film was "built with cliches and overacting," C- from Josh Bell of Crooked Marquee, and 1/4 from Mark Dujsik of Mark Reviews Movies.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_roaring_game) Cryptic Rock gave it 2 out of 5 stars, noting that the film rushes through the curling action until the final-act tournament and that fans of the sport would see little of it on screen.[14](https://crypticrock.com/the-roaring-game-movie-review/) A review at Gazettely scored it 3 out of 10, criticizing the thin narrative and the small amount of time spent on the mechanics and strategy of curling.[15](https://gazettely.com/2026/02/entertainment/the-roaring-game-review/) Audience ratings were warmer than the critics': IMDb showed 6.3/10 from 78 user ratings, and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) aggregated 6.2 from about 80 ratings.[16](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33662494/ratings/) • [12](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-roaring-game)
Reviewers placed the film in a lineage of curling comedies, most directly alongside the Canadian film *Men with Brooms* (2002), and noted that both films take liberties with the sport, including shots of curling rocks going airborne.[9](https://www.filmgatereviews.com/2026/02/the-roaring-game-movie-review.html) • [3](https://nornow.org/2026/03/06/rom-com-curling-film-released-with-olympics/)
## References
1. [The Roaring Game (2025), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33662494/)
2. [The Roaring Game (2026) – Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-roaring-game/NWfY74RL4ZuuLsAsKl4qe1/where-to-watch/)
3. [Rom-Com Curling Film Released With Olympics, Norfolk Now (March 6, 2026)](https://nornow.org/2026/03/06/rom-com-curling-film-released-with-olympics/)
4. [The Roaring Game, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-roaring-game/umc.cmc.44itg238f508n0r70puy9k0m7)
5. [The Roaring Game – Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33662494/releaseinfo/)
6. [Everything You Need to Know About The Roaring Game Movie (2026), Movie Insider](https://www.movieinsider.com/m25075/the-roaring-game)
7. ['The Roaring Game' Starring Mickey Rourke And Rob Gronkowski Lands North American Distribution Via Brainstorm Media, Verdi Films (November 25, 2025)](https://www.verdifilms.com/post/the-roaring-game-starring-mickey-rourke-and-rob-gronkowski-lands-north-american-distribution-via-b)
8. [The Roaring Game, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_roaring_game)
9. [The Roaring Game: Movie Review, Film Gate Reviews (February 6, 2026)](https://www.filmgatereviews.com/2026/02/the-roaring-game-movie-review.html)
10. [The Roaring Game (2025), Filmweb](https://www.filmweb.pl/film/The%2BRoaring%2BGame-2025-10107322)
11. [Filmography, Sweet Tooth Collectibles](https://www.sweettoothcollectibles.net/filmography)
12. [The Roaring Game streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-roaring-game)
13. [The Roaring Game (2025) – Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33662494/fullcredits/)
14. [The Roaring Game (Movie Review), Cryptic Rock (February 13, 2026)](https://crypticrock.com/the-roaring-game-movie-review/)
15. [The Roaring Game Review: Frozen Ambition and the Retro-Farce Aesthetic, Gazettely (February 2026)](https://gazettely.com/2026/02/entertainment/the-roaring-game-review/)
16. [The Roaring Game (2025) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33662494/ratings/)
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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 2025 › Titles M to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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