On the list of things that Dwayne Johnson can’t do, the top item is probably “Make a list of things that Dwayne Johnson can’t do.” Because the guy can do anything, in all walks of life. For instance, he can jam out to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” inside of a car, and not only does it not look dumb, but it looks fun. Check out this clip from last night’s Ballers below. (Brief spoilers below.)
On Ballers, Johnson plays former NFL great and current financial advisor Spencer Strasmore, a character who knows how to look good while having a good time. And rocking out to Taylor Swift is one of those things that not everybody can pull off properly, even though millions upon millions of people do it on a regular basis. But it should have come as no surprise that The Rock would be the guy to knock this automobile-based performance into the stratosphere. If only he could have been out of the car and dancing along with the rest of the show’s stars, especially John David Washington’s Ricky Jerret. Maybe next year. Or next week.
Spencer deals with a lot of bullshit on Ballers, from a woman blackmailing one of his clients to the wild antics of his other clients, so it’s not often that he gets a few moments of self-reflexive peace. He’s also been coping with the worry that his years of playing pro football might have caused some permanent brain damage, but his trip to the doctor in “Gaslighting” reveals that his medical tests look good, although they’re not entirely conclusive. Still, it’s enough to put some pep in his step as he leaves the doctor’s office, and no song has the problem-deflecting pep of “Shake It Off.” Million dollar smile right there.
Last week, Spencer was in his car rocking out to Tech N9ne’s “Hood Go Crazy,” a favorite track of mine, when he had to slam on the brakes, which spilled an urn containing his dead friend’s ashes all over the place. With all that dust covering his seat and floor mats, that would have been the perfect time for the song “Shake It Off” to come on.
Now if only we could get Johnson to head back to Lip Sync Battle next season. Or maybe singing car karaoke on The Late Late Show with James Corden would be more up his alley. In the meantime, tune into Ballers on HBO on Sunday nights for the final two episodes of Season1.
