Reviewed by FRANCESCA RUDKIN
(Herald rating: * *)
This is the inoffensive tale of a woman taking on the all-male boxing industry and winning. It's a film in which characters take a chance on themselves and each other: they grow, achieve and get ahead of themselves - then make a mistake.
The setup formula is followed by the prescribed second-half redemption: lessons are learned, an apology is made, and hearts are tugged. The ending is satisfying and expected, and you leave the cinema feeling you, too, could challenge yourself a little more. In other words, this film is the perfect Sunday night telly movie.
Against the Ropes is based on the life of Jackie Kallen (Ryan), America's most successful female boxing manager. Kallen grows up in a boxing gym, and when she is mocked into becoming a boxing manager by a few hot shots she takes up the challenge and finds a young boxer Luther Shaw (Epps), who she feels has what it takes to become a champion.
Recruiting retired boxing coach Felix (Charles S. Dutton), Kallen and Shaw start shaking things up in the boxing ring until Kallen grows to love the spotlight more than she should.
Kallen swaggers (literally) across our screen with a Detroit accent that comes and goes, and gives her best Erin Brokovich impersonation, but it is just too cutesy. By the end of the film you don't feel you know Kallen at all, and while Epps does well in the ring and the boxing scenes are well shot, we're not seeing anything new.
To be fair, the film-makers thought about keeping the audience happy: boxing for the boys, and Meg overcoming a male-dominated world for the girls. Nice, but just too nice.
CAST:Meg Ryan, Charles S. Dutton, Omar Epps
DIRECTOR:Charles S. Dutton
RUNNING TIME: 111 minutes
RATING:M - Medium Level Violence
SCREENING: Hoyts and Village Cinemas
Against The Ropes
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