Against The Ropes Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
She gave the boxing world the one-two punch they never saw coming.
A Jewish woman from Detroit who became a boxing manager, guiding several major careers. This film focuses on her relationship with one boxer (Epps), who's reportedly a composite of several including Toney, McKart and Hearns. Kallen eventually left her husband of 30 years, and moved to Los Angeles, becoming the commissioner of the International Female Boxers Association...
| Tony Shalhoub | Sam LaRocca |
| Meg Ryan | Jackie Kallen |
| Omar Epps | Luther Shaw |
| Joseph Cortese | Irving Abel |
| Timothy Daly | Gavin Reese |
| Charles S. Dutton | Felix Reynolds |
| Kerry Washington | Renee |
| Sean Bell | Ray Kallen |
| Dean McDermott | Pete Kallen |
| Skye McCole Bartusiak | Little Jackie |
| Juan Carlos Hernández | Pedro Hernandez |
| Holt McCallany | Dorsett |
| Tory Kittles | Devon Green |
| Gene Mack | Kevin Keyes |
| Beau Starr | Corcoran |
| Charles S. Dutton |
5.20 out of 10 (2115 votes)
Visitor Reviews
stereo typical boxing movie and Meg Ryan uses a bad accent
posted on 11 Jul 2009It would seem if this story was based on a real lady, then it would have been more interesting and not have everything fall step by step. Jackie loves boxing, works as a secretary at a boxing venue, gets a chance to manage on a bet, finds a young fighter who has potential, becomes successful, gets an ego, falls from grace, but wins the last fight in a miraculous manner. Here, the part I hated the most was Jackie determines that Luther is championship material after he beats up two crackheads. I didn't know finding a champion boxer was so easy.Ryan over acts and uses this bad accent like she's talking through her nose. I also didn't think the boxing fights were shot too well. All of the characters are cardboard cut outs, especially the rival promoter. And the standing ovation at the end for Jackie was so over-the-top. Could it get any more sappy? FINAL VERDICT: Follows a step by step story line for movies like this. There's no emotional hook and it's stereo typical as stereo typical gets.
Worst fight scenes ever
posted on 28 May 2009The boxing scenes in this movie make it unbearable to watch. There is no point in a movie about a woman who wants to be a boxing manager. Where's the real plot? You would think the movie would revolve around the boxer himself and not his manager. There is nothing exciting about this movie, and no suspense. I originally started watching because i thought I would see meg ryan in skimpy boxing shorts or something similar. What i seen was her standing near a ringside yelling at a lightweight boxer called Luther. They try to glorify this how? They could have at least made it a heavyweight bout. The fight scenes at the end is of the lowest quality. For hockey fans, This movie is like watching the AHL from an assistant coaches position... I mean sure there is no NHL right now, but there are still Rocky movies... go rent one of those instead. This movie is horrid! And then they applause Meg near the end for managing Luther to the title... who cares! she didn't even do anything! Not recommended at all. I love the big glorified ending "Jackie became the best female boxing manager of all time"... WOW, really, who cares?
Not-very-well-written but has redeeming features
posted on 10 May 2009This is a not-very-well-written film that nonetheless has redeeming features. The story arc is clichéd, (underdog succeeds against all odds, hubris sets in, everything lost, then redemption), and Meg Ryan, who I think is a better actress than some, is badly miscast here. She just can't come across as tough enough for this role. The slutty clothes her character wore, although looking very nice, didn't fit. (Even though I'm sure she was channeling Kallen) Omar Epps put in a very nice performance, and I have to compliment Kerry Washington and Charles S. Dutton for their work, although there was not enough of Washington. Also Tony Shalhoub who I haven't much cared for, shows his chops by going against type playing an imposing and menacing character. I see that Dutton directed and did well, inasmuch as I never noticed the direction. This film has deep faults, but somehow works, at least to a point. I thought it was OK.
At Least as Good as "Erin Brokovitch"
posted on 07 Mar 2009Having intensely disliked the last four or five Meg Ryan movies, I looked upon viewing "Against the Ropes" with some trepidation. After all, the movie had received terrible reviews, both with the critics and with the members of the IMDb. While boxing is my favorite spectator sport, I don't like it enough for "Pay for View" or HBO. So I went into the movie knowing nothing of Jackie Kallen or the accuracy of the film. Maybe that's why I enjoyed "Against the Ropes" so much. I could appreciate the work Ryan, Omar Epps, Charles Dutton, Timothy Daly and, especially, Tony Shaloub were putting on the screen. That Dutton directed particularly impressed me. He handles actors and the camera very well, has a very good eye for screen composition and color. Ryan's Midwestern accent is at least as plausible as Kurt Russell's in "Miracle," and "Against the Ropes" is a more entertaining movie. However, the best acting plaudits go to Tony Shaloub as the weaselly fight promoter. Those only familiar with Shaloub's work on "Monk" or "Wings" are going to see a completely different side of him. Shaloub is menacing without the use of violence; that's not as easy to do as some people might think. The ensemble acting here is even better than "Erin Brockovitch," another sanitized story, so I fail to see why that movie was praised and this one panned. Despite the Hollywood touches, this movie is less predictable than either "Brockovitch" or "Twelve Monkeys," which both received much better reviews."Against the Ropes" motivated me enough to read Jackie Kallen's biography.She's a hottie like Ryan, no surprise since that was necessary to get any attention at all in a "man's sport". she's also 57 (so much for the childhood scene, dated "1972" in the beginning) and was a successful fight analyst before she became a manager (so much for the secretary bit. She's also Jewish, three of her gentile champions paraded around the ring with trunks emblazoned with the star of David. Now THAT'S the story I would have liked to have seen. Nonetheless, as presented, "Against the Ropes" is worth at least a "7".
interesting and entertaining but not very believable
posted on 23 Feb 2009SPOILERS THROUGHOUT:Against The Ropes wasn't terrible, at least not for me. I actually enjoyed parts of it and though boxing movies aren't really my thing this is a movie that one can be drawn into if they let themselves. It's got an interesting plot and complex characters. And it's got Meg Ryan in the lead role.That to me, is part of what took away from the movie. I'm not a huge fan of Ryan but have liked her in certain movies. The problem here is just that she just isn't very believable in the role. That's not a dig at her acting, she was fine, but I just always knew I was watching Meg Ryan portray a boxing promoter. Not the perfect fit role wise.Also of annoyingly note worthy mention was Ryan's wardrobe. Why was there such an emphasis on the clothing? The emphasis on wardrobe didn't help the believability factor. This movie at times seemed less like a biography/boxing movie then a showcase for Meg Ryan's outfits and for her to break out of the romantic comedy role. The ending was as feel good as you could get. I actually admit I liked it, but when Ryan walks into the ring for the pep talk, yeah though one may respond to it emotionally it just doesn't come off as terribly realistic. Anyway....This wasn't a movie I had any desire to turn off in mid stream but it isn't a movie that I'd say is a must see or anything like that. Kudos to Ryan for playing against type though and Against The Ropes, with all it's flaws can hold your attention. My vote's 6 of 10.
I Liked It.
posted on 28 Jan 2009This movie has been described as a cross between a boxing film and a chic flic. Some women can't stomach boxing films and many men really loathe chic flics. Nevertheless, if you can overcome your aversion to one or the other this movie can be quite entertaining. Even though they are few and far between, I like boxing movies, and I thought the fight scenes in this movie were pretty good. Lots of stereotypes in this film, of course, but then that's what most boxing movies are all about. Good versus evil and - at least in this one - maybe even men versus women. Anyway, it's not high art - just a pretty good movie.
Straight from Hollywood formula school
posted on 18 Jan 2009I usually enjoy Meg Ryan movies, but in this one I felt she was stilted and trying a bit too hard to be her character. Maybe because I am so used to seeing her in other roles, but I think she is abandoning what she is really good at i.e. romantic comedies. She also appeared to have had a lot of botox and collagen injections so her face showed absolutely no emotion at all. And what was with the accent? Also not very good was the music which sounded like it came from a Disney made-for TV movie and in places was quite annoying and inappropriate. The plot was really formulaic and had no surprises, and in some places jumped around and made you feel like you were missing events. Definitely avoid this one.
Great boxing movie
posted on 27 Nov 2008This is one of the few great boxing movies out there. The fighting actually looks as if it could be in a real ring as apposed to many of those other fight flix out there. Meg Ryan is still absolutely gorgeous at her age and pulls of the role wonderfully. This is a movie that you will be able to watch several times and still get some enjoyment out of it. I love the fact that although this could be considered a "girl-power" type of movie that it appeals to the male crowd and does not come across as man-bashing. I had to purchase this movie as soon as it came out because it got me pumped to go out and try for anything. This movie has slight humorous undertones, however, in my opinion it will appeal much more to a crowd that is seeking a drama. A must see!
Only the audience is against the ropes
posted on 02 Jun 2008Though ostensibly based on a true story, 'Against the Ropes' is pure movie hokum from start to finish. Jackie Kallen made a name for herself as one of the few successful female managers in the history of professional boxing. In the movie's prologue, we meet Jackie as a young girl so obsessed with the sport that she spends her off hours at the gym helping her dad train her uncle, a fighter who died very early in his career. Years later, Jackie, on a dare, agrees to manage her own player - if only she can find a talent who will be willing to put his life and his career in the hands of an untried but determined woman. She alights on Luther Shaw, a drug-dealer-with-a-heart-of-gold whom she picks up in the nearby projects. Luther is, for the most part, a fictional character, a composite, we're told, of several of the fighters Kallen led to victory in the ring.Regardless of how much of this is fiction or nonfiction, 'Against the Ropes' fails to generate any heat either as a character study or as a human drama. We're supposed to find all this interesting simply because Kallen is an attractive woman trying to prove herself in a man's world. Yet, the story is hackneyed, the dialogue corny, the characters and their conflicts trite and underdeveloped. The Cheryl Edwards screenplay is so sketchy and poorly articulated that we often don't understand why characters are behaving the way they are, particularly when it comes to the rough-and-tumble relationship between Jackie and Luther. One moment they are getting along swimmingly, and the next Jackie is strutting around blowing her own horn while Luther sits pouting in the corner. Whole episodes, which could have gone a long way towards explaining the characters' motivations, seem to have been dropped from the finished product at the last minute. Kallen is obviously a change-of-pace role for Meg Ryan who generally plays the innocent ingénue lead in romantic comedies. Yet, despite the fact that she is a trifle more serious here and even gets to work with an accent (the mark of any 'serious' performer looking to buck up her credentials), the movie itself is so lacking in tension and grit and so determinedly upbeat and optimistic that it really doesn't give the actress a whole lot of opportunity to truly stretch those acting muscles. In fact, in the final scene, the film turns into little more than a vanity production for the waning star. Omar Epps fares a bit better, turning in a performance of strength and dignity, though the script lets him down by failing to develop his character to any appreciable extent. The one fight scene is only moderately well executed and comes way too late in the film for anyone interested in the sport to still be hanging around ringside at that point. In fact, no one comes even close to scoring a knockout blow in 'Against the Ropes' - not Ryan, not Epps and certainly not the audience. 'Against the Ropes' is a sucker punch all the way.
I'd rather have seen her in the ring with gloves on...
posted on 02 Jun 2008I thought they stopped making movies like this after Rocky came out.
Obviously I'm wrong.If you don't know where this movie is going after five minutes, then you've obviously done a few too many rounds in the ring yourself. Meg Ryan chews up the scenery and spits it out along with her constantly changing accent.
I kept waiting for her to get into the ring with Omar Epps. That would have been entertaining.Nothing new here folks, and it's been done so much better elsewhere, from the dodgy looking fights to the usual montage sequence and successful pep talks. I saw it for free, and I still want my two hours back.
Not at all interesting to me
posted on 10 Jan 2008"Against the Ropes" is essentially a boxing drama. Meg Ryan plays Jackie, a woman who was interested in boxing from a young age and eventually triumphs over obstacles to become a successful boxing manager. I know practically nothing about the sport of boxing and even less about the management of boxers so to be honest I don't find Jackie's achievement - apparently she is the most successful female boxing manager - to be that great. I do admire the way she was tough and dealt with men, but the film really suffered from a weak script and boring scenes, particularly boxing ones. I had heard a lot about Skye McCole Bartusiak playing little Jackie, but she barely appeared at all! Jackie was portrayed as not having much substance, and Meg Ryan was quite good but looked like a bimbo. I suspect this film holds no interest for those who aren't really into boxing; it also doesn't manage to get you engaged like a better film would. 2 out of 10.
Million Dollar Baby, Not!
posted on 30 Oct 2007"Against the Ropes" is not the bad movie some of the contributors to this forum seem to imply. While it doesn't break any ground in a sport that is seen here in a more glamorized way, the film presents us a woman determined to succeed at being a boxing promoter. In real life, Jackie Kallen has proved herself to be capable of handling fighters. Charles S. Dutton, an actor himself, makes the best of the material Cheryl Edwards wrote, based on the real Jackie.Jackie Kallen is a woman who knows a lot about boxing. When she spots the amazing Luther Shaw, she is determined to take him to the top. She realizes she has a thankless job, as she enters an area in sports totally dominated by men. Jackie is not a quitter, as she proves it to the boxing world and to herself. While boxing drama has been dealt with in much better movies, we won't dwelt on it.Jackie Kallen, is played by Meg Ryan. She is at times annoying in her determination to go against the controlling mafia-like people in the business. Omar Epps, as the boxer, appears to do a fair job as a fighter that wants to go to the top of the heap. Tony Shalhoub plays LaRocca, the man who would like to defeat Jackie and show her where she belongs, but she gets the last laugh! Charles S. Dutton, as Felix, the trainer, doesn't have much to do. Timothy Daly, is Gavin, the man responsible for attracting attention to Luther because of his friendship with Jackie.Watch this movie with open eyes.
Tame Sports Drama
posted on 14 Oct 2007I saw the film at an advance screening (wouldn't have otherwise, not bring a sports movie fan), and, in the movie's defense, it delivers exactly what the trailer promises: a by-the-book, All-American underdog sports drama ostensibly from a feminist perspective. Disappointingly, it fictionalizes the character of Kallen to such an extent that only her name remains as a kernel of truth-- supporting characters, settings, chronology, and especially the real challenges that Kallen overcame have all been pared down to fit the same mold that "Seabiscuit" and "Miracle" came from. It's so predictable that one might think that the real Kallen would have been offended by the Lifetime Movie-of-the-Week treatment of her colorful life, but as she was an active executive producer, I guess we can assume she enjoyed Meg Ryan's gravelly-voiced, fiendishly asexual interpretation of herself. (For the record, the real Kallen was a mother experienced in sports journalism when she became a boxing manager, not the downtrodden spinster secretary as shown in the movie). Omar Epps gives a thoroughly credible performance as Kallen's first middleweight, and Charles S. Dutton, as the trainer brought out of retirement to coach him to victory, trots out the familiar trope with an easy self-assurance. Tony Shahloub is perfect as the slimey, chauvenist boxing promoter determined to see Kallen fail. For all its treacly dialogue, the movie's fight scenes look very realistic, for what that's worth. That is pretty much the only innovation in this by-the-book movie which feels like something Katherine Hepburn would have made sixty years ago.
Simply awful
posted on 10 Oct 2007What a complete waste of talent... a poorly written, thin story that might have... well... been a contender.My honest advice is do not watch this unless you have a strong drink in one hand and the other ready to hit your remote's fast-forward button.Meg Ryan has a terrible time getting into Jackie Kallen's character and struggles to bring any depth to the part. Omar Epps blows her away in the acting department, but that doesn't say much. Charlie Dutton is Charles Dutton, but the script seems to hang them all out to dry.The only thing that was good was the print I saw had excellent color balance.
Surprisingly Entertaining
posted on 04 Oct 2007I watched an advanced screening of Against the Ropes last night. I wasn't expecting much and I had seen some negative reviews on here already. But upon seeing the movie, it was actually pretty good. It had its funny moments and the story started off well. I think it suffered towards the middle when the story switched to Kalleen's addiction to the spotlight. I thought it made the story a bit boring and would've liked to have seen it concentrate more on Omar Epps and Meg Ryan's relationship and title conquest.Overall, it was a decent movie and the crowd actually was into it and enjoying it. I was entertained. ***out of ****
One of the worst sports movies I've ever seen!!!
posted on 04 Feb 2007When I saw the trailer for this movie, though it was based on a true story, had a typical sports movie premise, woman manages a young boxer against the odds etc etc. These type of movies if done well can be very entertaining, of course Rocky being the most famous of them all, i.e. most sports movies follow the "Rocky" formula. All I can say is this movie is just plain awful, Meg Ryan I'm sure will want to quickly forget this one. Her performance is really bad, there are scenes that she seems to reading the lines!!! Charles Dutton, who also directed the film plays a trainer, he is usually very good in supporting roles, in fact he was great in one of my favorite sports films:Rudy, looks embarrassed. This film has every cliche in the book, but it is done in such sloppiness that none of them work. This movie makes the lesser Rocky sequels seem like great films. there is not much more to say, in the last month I've seen 2 sports films, this one and Miracle. Where as miracle took some of the sports movie cliches and nuances and used them with intelligence and conviction, this film does nothing except wast 2 hours of our time!!! You want to see a movie about a fighter being managed by a woman, see The Main Event with Barbara Streisand and Ryan O'Neal, no, not a very good movie but at least it was more entertaining than this waste of celluloid!!!STAY AWAY!!! SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!GRADE: F
Agreeable comedy-drama about boxing world with a likable Meg Ryan as an obstinate promoter
posted on 15 Jan 2007The movie focuses to Jackie Kallen(Meg Ryan), a Jewish girl from Detroit, a secretary plenty of wide dreams. After a stake with a famous commissioner(Tony Shalhoub)she becomes a boxing promoter of a young boxer(Omar Epps).Then she hires a retired coach(Charles S. Dutton) for training the inexperienced boxer.Although is a fictional story is based on true events referred by United States's most noted boxing manager. In addition, are narrated her relationship with the tough boxer, her fight to survive into boxing world, a sport strongly dominated by male sex. It's developed with humor, love and a little bit of drama. The casting is frankly excellent, a sympathetic though selfish Meg Ryan, a two-fisted but sensible Omar Epps, today well known as the doctor in ¨House¨, such as Tony Shaloub by ¨Monk¨series; furthermore Jose Cortese and Tim Daly(son of James Daly and brother of Tyne Daly) as a sports reporter. The motion picture packs an enjoyable cinematography by Jack N. Greene( Clint Eastwood's usual cameraman) and catching soundtrack by Michael Kamen(Weapon Lethal, Die hard). The movie is professionally directed by usually actor Charles S Dutton in his first movie, he has followed directing television movies. Rating : Acceptable and entertaining . The film will like to Meg Ryan fans and boxing buffs but displays nice combats.
My Comment : Meg Ryan's Clothes Were Great !!
posted on 20 Nov 2006I love (Meg Ryan), but not some of her works lately. Here, the problem is in the script. It's solid one but totally not a new one or trying to be (At least a star like Ryan must've known better !). The thing is that there was an intention for making a movie about North America's most famous female boxing promoter (Jackie Kallen). But with non factual story. So when they select of all the themes a fictional one that's close to (A Star Is Born)'s formula, then I must feel so bored before getting to veto powerfully ! I hate to say it but the whole thing seemed predictable. I waited for different details for the characters or the events to just find different outfits for (Ryan) ! The director (Charles S. Dutton) handled it fine but had to make video clips at places since the script gave him nothing unique to do, just a middling material (The last 10 minutes was the only too fine sequence). The music was good but at few moments. The sensitivity itself wasn't well made inasmuch as abbreviated, not to mention weak points; for instance the separation between the 2 leads was done so strangely and for trivial matters, therefore moments like seeing (Ryan)'s character at the arena in the last match, with greeting her respectfully from the honest report's character, was overdone, too emotional in the wrong place, and looked like a ghost for counterpart moment in (The Natural - 1984)! And I thought that Meg's apology and encouragement speech after could've been something less blabber or totally wordless; meaning more cinematic, less weak (for instance she raises a board with Go and Win written on it, then Epps heeds her surprising while she looks at him crying regretfully), or anything else. (Tony Shalhoub) did it good, but I felt that he wasn't scary enough in the first place. (Omar Epps) is so aggrieved, the movie dealt with him the lousy way Jackie did at one point (making all the show about her only !). (Kerry Washington) is adorable and so hot, but seriously how to talk about her since originally there isn't saturated or satisfactory anyone or anything in this script!. It looked like "the movie of the week" stuff while it's a Hollywood movie with Big star. To be fair, it's not bad at all, but it surely lacked what could make it distinct, original, and sentimental. Still the best about it is (Ryan)'s too many flashy colorful clothes, and her sexy present all the time, while your assured feelings that her eyebrows and her lips look weird, her voice suddenly changed into husky, her age became older than her characters, and that there is something not right about this phase of her career. (Meg) I still love you, please choose better next times. I can't finish it without one sly remark : on the top of its soundtrack you'd find "Out of Touch".. As a description for the movie itself.. I couldn't agree more !
Against the Ropes...A movie to remember
posted on 25 Oct 2006I had the pleasure of going to the premiere for Against the Ropes in LA on February 11, 2004. I thought the movie was excellant. I am Charles Dutton's neice, and a very big fan of Omar Epps. The movie was very well written, and directed, and the cast did a fantastic job. Meg Ryan definately played her part, and made it be known that there is no such thing as "a man's sport". I give the movie, it's writers, directors, and it's cast 2 thumbs up. This will definately be a movie that I will purchase on DVD when it comes out.
Pure Stereotypes!
posted on 19 Jul 2009It was so bad! The acting was pure stereotypical. The head-shakes, sighs were bad enough, we had to endure Meg's collagen lips! Is she trying to look like Angilie Jollie? The best acting came from the character of Felix. Please don't waste two hours of your life. Those two hours would be better utilized by clipping your toe nails or doing your taxes!We love Meg, but she should buy up all the copies and have them burned! The character of the "bad Boxer" was a caricature right out of 1950's "B" movies. Tony Shaloub is a great actor, playing the part of a "Made-Man" that is Puerto Rican! Are they serious? Anyone who watches the Sopranos knows that only Scicilians can become made-men!Meg: Stop taking collagen injections, go back to the cutsey genre of comedies that you are so good at!