BEFORE: After watching "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby" three times (essentially...) anything's bound to be a welcome change. It's kind of like when you've got a cold and you can't really taste food, then you go out to a restaurant when you feel a little better, and whatever you order, it's going to taste like the most amazing meal ever.
Ciaran Hinds carries over from the "Them" version of the Eleanor Rigby trilogy, and of course, now I can't delete the "Them" film without messing with my linking - because he's the ONE actor who was in the "Him" version that didn't appear at all in the "Her" version.
THE PLOT: The inspirational story of World Champion boxer Vinny Pazienza who, after a near-fatal car crash, made one of sport's most incredible comebacks.
AFTER: It seems like there's always one more boxing movie - the last one I watched was "Creed", about a year ago, and then the topic was clear for a while, but of course that can't last, there's always one more. Except when there are two more, like there are now - I taped "Chuck" to go on a DVD with this one, and I just saw that "Hands of Stone" is on Netflix, which is a shame because I need it to air on premium cable to fill up a DVD with another De Niro film, "The Comedian".
We love boxing films because they allow us to root for the underdog, a tradition which goes back at least as far as the first "Rocky", which more recently was seen in not just "Creed" but also "Southpaw". But how about this for an underdog story, a boxing champ who's told that he may not ever walk again after a car accident, but he doesn't let that stop him. He goes for the spinal fusion surgery, which also puts a "halo" device around his head to immobile his neck, and then not only walks during his recovery, but also begins to train again in secret.
Because what's he going to do, NOT BOX? That's crazy talk, apparently. But it's good to have goals during a recovery period, and it's good to take what they predict you won't be able to do, turn that around and show it can be done, plus a whole lot more. All this guy needed was the right trainer, apparently, instead of his non-professional dad, somebody that would know when to push him, how to get rid of his bad boxing habits, and suggest that he move up a couple of weight classes. Though I wish the film could have explained a little more about why that's risky for someone to do, apart from the extra health problems associated with gaining weight.
This is a mostly true story, though - but the IMDB points out that Pazienza's comeback fight was not against Roberto Duran, but Luis Santana instead - and he didn't fight Duran until two years later. Dramatic license, I suppose, but why not try to get the facts right?
Also starring Miles Teller (last seen in "Fantastic Four"), Aaron Eckhart (last seen in "Sully"), Katey Sagal (last seen in "Pitch Perfect 2"), Ted Levine (last seen in "Wonderland"), Jordan Gelber (last seen in "Riding in Cars with Boys"), Amanda Clayton (last seen in "John Carter"), Daniel Sauli (last seen in "Boiler Room"), Tina Casciani, Liz Carey, Christine Evangelista, Denise Schaefer, Peter Quillin, Jean Pierre Augustin, Edwin Rodriguez, Marv Albert (last seen in "Trainwreck"), Sully Erna and archive footage of the real Vinny Pazienza.
RATING: 6 out of 10 sparring partners
No comments:
Post a Comment