Bruiser starts by introducing 14-year-old Darious (Jalyn Hall). He goes to a private boarding school that his parents, Malcolm (Shamier Anderson) and Monica (Shinelle Azoroh), work hard to afford. He’s also a typical teen that hates living in the suburbs away from his friends and wants a new bike as he’s outgrown his old one. Malcolm’s a stern yet loving father, while Monica is a gentler and compassionate parent. By any standards, they are a typical black hard-working, church-going middle-class family.
One day, Darius fights with another kid from the neighborhood and accidentally stumbles upon a drifter named Porter (Trevante Rhodes). The boy is immediately drawn to the charismatic man. Porter lives on a cool boat; he’s free-spirited, rides a motorbike, and is willing to teach Darious how to throw a punch – He’s everything Malcolm isn’t. He also happens to be Darious’s biological father.
Throughout the film, Darious gets stuck in the middle between the two men. Malcolm and Porter used to be friends and share a violent past, but it’s unclear which one was more dangerous. Yet, it’s clear that when Monica gave birth to Darious, Porter walked away, and Malcolm took on the fatherly role. Porter tries to pull his son away from his family. He tells him about Malcolm’s past indiscretions and encourages him to ignore his calls. Malcolm fights back. He punches Porter, calls the police on him for trespassing and tries to forbid Darious from seeing his biological dad.
The relationship between Malcolm and Monica suffers to the point where the man ends up sleeping on the couch. She wants to forgive her ex for abandoning her and their son, but at the same time, feels dutybound to stand by Malcolm’s decision.
Bruiser Ending Explained
Things eventually come to a head when Malcolm grabs Darious by the arm during an argument. It leads to the boy calling Porter and sneaking out at night. The two go for a ride on Porter’s motorcycle and stop at the local diner for steak. When the owner recognizes them, he calls Malcolm and tries to get the boy away from his biological father. Unsurprisingly, the restaurant owner’s attempt to separate the two results in him grabbing Darious and driving off.
An unhinged Porter suggests he take Darious someplace else, like Miami or anywhere away from Monica and Malcolm. The teen is not comfortable with that idea. In a rage, Porter grabs his phone and throws it out the window because Malcolm keeps calling. An angry Darious demands Porter stop the car so that he can retrieve it. Stopping the vehicle gives Malcolm just enough time to catch up with them.
Who wins the fight for Darious’s affection?
At first, when Malcolm reaches Darious and gets him in the back seat of his car, it seems he will do the right thing and take the boy home. Instead, he gets into a fistfight with Porter. The fight between the men seems to go on forever, while the camera focuses on the boy just waiting in the car. By the time Darious gets out to check if the two men are okay, his fathers are bruised up, bloody, and exhausted. However, they’re still not finished. After resting for a few minutes, they both get up and continue mindlessly fighting in the middle of a dark field.
Instead of continuing to wait patiently, Darious (a 14-year-old boy without a license) hops in the driver’s seat, turns on the ignition, and starts the car. The boy drives himself away from his two fathers and their inability to reach a consensus. By the end, Malcolm and Porter were so caught up in their rivalry that they forgot the one thing they should have prioritized – their son.
What did you think of the ending of the 2022 Hulu film Bruiser? Comment below.
I didn’t understand why they just ran off and disappeared. What was the resolution? Did they go off and continue to fight? Were they ashsmed and just didn’t come back?
I hate when movies end open ended
I didn’t like that there was no resolution at the end.
I think what people dont see is thats the point of the ending there is no conclusion to their battle porter couldve of walked off but all he wanted was time with his son to make things right malcolm could of left he had what needed(darius) thats it malcolm couldve just left him be but his ego couldnt handle porter explaining it was his son that made that decision it was also jealousy that caused this fight on Malcolm side if you pay attention not once did porter lay a hand on Malcolm in the film he kept composure until the end malcolm only had the patience to warn him once that failed it was just going off from there its like malcolm was waiting to do what he did and Porter just wanted to let it go but he knew he just knew if he didnt finish it right there and then malcolm would forever keep coming after hom
I hate wasting my time sitting thru a movies that leaves the ending just hanging like Bruiser did! So stupid!!
Completely a bias and racist opinion. By what standards are most African American families struggling to afford their child a bike that’s the correct size or boarding school? Both father’s in this film were abusive, controlling, and irresponsible with their emotions. Porter came into the situation being honest and trying to get to know his son. After he was denied this right he still continued to cooperate until he was assaulted and humiliated in public. This review is very offensive.
In my opinion the ending did make me upset as no resolution was given. Malcom and Porter had different issues. At the beginning you can see that Porter is mentally unstable as he suffered from PTSD. Treated or untreated it was evident with the blind snake tattoo explanation. Malcom suffered the same PTSD from his unresolved issues with child abuse. He showed anger as it was demonstrated to him from his father. He battled wanting to be different. Neither could be father to this kid until their individual issues were dealt it. The kid decided not to choose. He wanted them both in his life. To avoid the pain of which one didn’t return he drove away. They created issues for the kid, and and avoidance. Instead of dealing with the situation he avoids it and drives away. The final act was one he had become accustomed to. He couldn’t control his anger throughout the movie and he avoided addressing anything. He got upset and ran away.