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Chris Christie's Action Movie Fiasco, 'Starring' The Rock

The New Jersey governor's video about pension reform included a scene from a movie starring The Rock. Then attorneys called to complain.

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Gov. Chris Christie and The Rock have parted ways — on YouTube, at least.

 

On Tuesday morning, the Republican governor’s office posted a fake movie trailer on the popular video-streaming site portraying the never-shy Christie an an action hero in the quest for another round of pension reform. The tongue-in-cheek clip — titled "No Pain, No Gain" — featured Hollywood-style explosions, a dramatic score, and shots from one of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson’s films.

It wasn’t online for long. The video was yanked after only a few hours because Johnson’s attorneys called to complain, the governor’s office aknowledged.

But around 2 p.m. today, the video was back up on YouTube — though all semblance of the WWE wrestler-turned-movie star was left on the cutting room floor.

"Unfortunately The Rock is in high demand & won’t be able to appear in our Summer flick," read a tweet on Christie’s Twitter page. "But #NoPainNoGain lives on."

It is unclear why lawyers for Johnson — a registered Republican — asked for the clip to be removed. Reps for the actor did not return messages today, and Christie’s office declined further comment.

View Full Story from the Star-Ledger

Daniel Luzer is GOVERNING's news editor.
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