Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Gives Chris Christie's Fake Movie Thumbs Down

TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has body-slammed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's humorous attempt to sell a pension-reform plan.

Christie's office removed a trailer that it posted to YouTube for a mock summer blockbuster titled "No Pain. No Gain."

The video originally included a shot of the Hollywood action star and former professional wrestler. A new version without Johnson was posted Wednesday.

The trailer features clips of Christie warning of an impending budget crisis, along with dramatic music and sound effects. The clip is cut together with scenes of explosions and car chase.

The governor's office said the version of the video with Johnson was pulled down at the request of Johnson's lawyers. A tweet on Christie's account joked Wednesday that "Unfortunately The Rock is on high demand & won't be able to appear in our Summer flick."
https://twitter.com/GovChristie/statuses/489457977003630592
A spokesman for Johnson did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

The original one-minute, 22-second video included starring credits for "Governor Christie," "The People of New Jersey," "The Rock" and "The NJ Legislature (Hopefully ...)." It claimed the fake film is rated R for "reform."

The video comes ahead of the first of a series of summer town hall meetings at which Christie will discuss "the impending fiscal crisis the growing entitlements of pension, health benefits and debt services are causing."

Johnson is reportedly a registered Republican and spoke at the 2000 Republican National Convention.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)