Cast: Meg Ryan, Omar Epps, Tony Shalhoub, Timothy Daly, Charles S. Dutton, Joe Cortese, Kerry Washington
Director: Charles S. Dutton
Producers: Robert W. Cort, David Madden
Screenplay: Cheryl Edwards, inspired by the life of Jackie Kallen
Cinematography: Jack Green
Music: Michael Kamen
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Against the Ropes contains all the expected clichés of a boxing movie, albeit without the sense of style that often characterizes the best entries into the genre. The film also suffers from a split personality syndrome: it wants to tell the "real life" story (based on actual events, but heavily fictionalized) of Jackie Kallen (played in the film by Meg Ryan), the first big-time female boxing promoter, but it also wants the rousing ending of a big bout, so it dovetails Jackie's story with that of a fictional pugilist, Luther Shaw (Omar Epps), and, in the process, loses its focus.
Despite being flawed and slight, Against the Ropes offers a degree of entertainment. The visceral thrill of seeing the underdog rise to the top and engineer an expected upset is multiplied by two in this movie: Jackie does it outside of the ring and Luther does it between the ropes. The screenplay's predictability could be considered an asset by those who are anticipating the expected, but Against the Ropes' multiple feel-good endings elevate the movie's emotional level to that of pure cornball. Still, there were cheers from the audience.
The film introduces us to Jackie when she's an overworked, underappreciated secretary slaving under the thumb of Cleveland boxing promoter Irving Abel (Joe Cortese). She does her job for peanuts so she can be near the sport she has loved since a child. Eventually, fate opens a door and offers her the opportunity to manage the career of street thug Luther, despite opposition from the biggest boxing presence in the region, Larocca (an un-Monk-like Tony Shalhoub, in a rare chance to portray the heavy). In order to get Luther a fight, Jackie has to travel to Buffalo and pull a few strings. However, once he has a few wins under his belt, Luther becomes too big for Larocca to ignore, but he's more intent upon destroying the boxer than in giving him a chance. Meanwhile, the attention paid to Jackie as a woman succeeding in a man's world goes to her head, and she begins to buy into her own press, betraying friends and Luther in her sudden quest for fame.
Of course, in the end, Jackie earns a chance at redemption and Luther gets his shot in the ring. Against the Ropes thankfully avoids a few pitfalls. Jackie is not presented as someone with a heart of gold. To succeed in the world of boxing, she becomes as ruthless as the men she's up against, kicking butt and breaking hearts to get her way. And there's no romance (nor the hint of one) between her and Luther. She's pretty much left single throughout the movie, and he develops a relationship with her friend, Renee (Kerry Washington).
The film, which has lain gathering dust on Paramount's shelves for a year, is directed by veteran actor Charles S. Dutton, who plays the part of Luther's all-knowing, all-seeing coach, Felix (think Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi crossed with Burgess Meredith's Mickey). Dutton, directing his first feature, displays some rookie rawness. His depiction of the fight scenes in particular is disappointing. There's no sense of immediacy, and, on those occasions when he tries to get the camera into the action, it ends up being more confusing than engrossing. A film like Rocky succeeds not only because of the story and characters, but because the fight scenes are filmed in such a way that we're in the ring with the fighters, not merely spectators watching from a ringside seat. That's what's missing here.
Against the Ropes probably would have worked better if it had continued to concentrate on Jackie during the second half rather than transferring its focus to the less interesting Luther. Also, primarily because of time constraints, the shifts in Jackie's personality occur too abruptly. Meg Ryan's performance is adequate (despite the instability of her accent), but the character is written too broadly to give her much opportunity to display real depth. And, after bearing just about everything in In the Cut, the only thing she shows off here is a nice amount of cleavage. Omar Epps does just about all that any actor could do with Luther.
The degree to which Against the Ropes succeeds depends on what you're expecting from it. There are cracks in the foundation, but it is nevertheless a surprisingly watchable production. It succeeds in many of the ways a sports movie should, and, by employing a slightly different viewpoint for most of the production, manages a sense of freshness. For Dutton, it's a first step in a career behind the camera. For Ryan, it's neither an advancement nor a retreat in her quest to be known as something other than "America's Sweetheart." And, most importantly, for the audience, it's a chance to be exposed to 110 minutes of disposable entertainment.
© 2004 James Berardinelli