Themes: Underdogs, Success is the Best Revenge, Boxers
Main Cast: Meg Ryan, Omar Epps, Charles S. Dutton, Tony Shalhoub, Tim Daly, Joe Cortese, Kerry Washington
Release Year: 2004
Country: US
Run Time: 111 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Charles S. Dutton's feature-length directorial debut Against the Ropes is based on the real-life story of Jackie Kallen, a Jewish woman from Detroit who became a successful boxing manager. Played by Meg Ryan, Kallen works her way up in the world of boxing by believing in the fighting skills of Luther Shaw (Omar Epps). Director Dutton appears as veteran trainer Felix Reynolds, whom Kallen encourages to come out of retirement. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Review
That other 2004 boxing movie directed by an actor who casts himself as a trainer in the film, Charles S. Dutton's Against the Ropes is no Million Dollar Baby, but it does also focus on the unusual role of a woman in the world of pugilism. As played by Meg Ryan with a raspy Midwestern mill-town accent, that woman comes across as a lot tougher than her coiffed appearance would indicate, and a lot better informed about baahhxing than her male counterparts want to admit. Thankfully, she doesn't play the martyr saint. Ryan and Dutton realize that even though she's the only female representative in this male-dominated world, she can be less than perfect, and get the kind of inflated head that alienates both her boxer (Omar Epps) and the audience. Unfortunately, the film doesn't go quite far enough in documenting these human weaknesses, which leaves the audience a bit puzzled when she becomes universally vilified in the boxing community. The story then takes on many of the standard components of failure and redemption, all leading toward "the big fight" whose outcome is a tad less than uncertain. By the time the film closes with the most tired of clichés -- the slow clap that builds toward thunderous applause -- Against the Ropes has devolved into something utterly conventional. Maybe it's appropriate that a film that deals so much with dualities -- black and white, male and female -- has very few shades of gray. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Gene Mack - Luther; Holt McCallany - Doherty; Skye McCole Bartusiak - Jackie Kallen (younger); Tory Kittles - Devon Green; Sean Bell - Ray Ray; Tamara Hickey - Megan
Credit
Jackie Kallen - Associate Producer, Avy Kaufman - Casting, Mike Drake - Co-producer, Ruth E. Carter - Costume Designer, Richard Cowan - First Assistant Director, Charles S. Dutton - Director, Eric L. Beason - Editor, Steven Roffer - Executive Producer, Scarlett Lacey - Executive Producer, Jonathan Pillot - Executive Producer, Roy T. Anderson - Fights Choreographer, Michael Kamen - Composer (Music Score), Sandra Kybartas - Production Designer, Jack N. Green - Cinematographer, Robert W. Cort - Producer, David Madden - Producer, Steven Essam - Set Designer, Bruce Carwardine - Sound/Sound Designer, Roy T. Anderson - Stunts Coordinator, Cheryl Edwards - Screenwriter
Against the Ropes is a 2004dramamovie. It was directed by Charles S. Dutton, in his motion-picture directorial debut. It is a fictionalized account of the Americanboxing manager Jackie Kallen, who was the first woman to become a success in the sport.
Against the Ropes grossed less than $6 million in the US and was panned by critics, in part because of the resemblance to nearly all the other boxing movies, such as the Rocky series. As with other such movies, its climax is a bout for the championship.
The film begins with Jackie learning the boxing game with her father and uncle in a small gym when she is just a small girl. Later, she becomes the assistant to a Cleveland boxing promoter. Jackie's boss then begins doing business with Sam LaRocca, a sports manager, during a middleweight championship fight. After the fight, LaRocca asks Jackie what she thought of the fight. Obviously unimpressed with Jackie's knowledge of boxing, LaRocca offers her the fight's loser's contract for a dollar. She goes to visit the fighter at home, only to find him addicted to drugs. Enter Luther Shaw, a small time hood, based partly on James Toney. Kallen watches in mixed horror and fascination as Shaw pummels the former middleweight champ. She offers to manage him professionally. Although Shaw is at first hesitant, he eventually signs on with Kallen. Because of LaRocca, Kallen can't find Shaw a fight anywhere in Ohio, so the two are forced to go on the road until Shaw makes a name for himself. However, Jackie begins to get swept up in all the attention she gets for being the first female boxing promoter. Her attention eventually shifts from Shaw to her own media persona as Shaw's number of wins continues to climb. Finally realizing that she is not paying enough attention to her only client, Kallen agrees to sell Shaw's contract to LaRocca on the condition that he be given a championship fight. LaRocca agrees, setting Shaw up for a shot at the title before he could possibly be ready. Kallen arrives at the fight and stands in Shaw's corner as he goes on to win the title.
Against the Ropes opened up at #8 at the box office, grossing $3,038,546 in the opening weekend. The film was released on Feb 20,2004 to 1,601 theaters (widest release) gathering an average of $1,897 per theater. The film closed its box office run after seven weeks, gathering $5,884,190 from the domestic market and $730,090 from overseas for an international total of $6,614,280. [2]
