Product Description

Jackie isnt fighting for glory. Shes fighting for respect. Inspired by a true story jackie is a sassy brassy boxing manager-in-the-making determined to change lethal luther shaw from a mere street punk into a world class prizefighter. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 02/13/2007 Starring: Meg Ryan Omar Epps Run time: 110 minutes Rating: Pg13

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28686 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2004-07-13
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 111 minutes

Amazon.com
The Rocky formula nearly wears out its welcome in Against the Ropes, a highly fictionalized feel-good drama based on the life of pioneering female boxing promoter Jackie Kallen. In an egregious effort to distill the essence of Kallen's achievement, director Charles S. Dutton (who fared better with HBO's The Corner) has strictly played it safe, delivering a foregone conclusion almost from the very first scene. Burdened with a by-the-numbers screenplay by Cheryl Edwards (Save the Last Dance), the film gets a much-needed boost from Meg Ryan, playing Kallen as a brassy, smoky-voiced dynamo, rising to the challenge when a rival promoter (played with fierce bravado by Tony Shalhoub) dares her to play hardball in a male-dominated sport. Jackie's trump cards are Luther (Omar Epps), a promising contender with untried talent, and a once-legendary trainer (played by director Dutton) coaxed out of retirement to guide Luther to the middleweight championship. No surprises here, just a handful of energetic performances, an abundance of raw ambition, obligatory setbacks, and the nagging feeling that you've seen it all before. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Great story, abrupt ending

This movie is a great story of how to fight for what you believe in and that success does not come easy. Based loosely on the true story of Jackie Callen, Meg Ryan is wonderful as a woman trying to break into the boys-club of boxing management. She grew up loving boxing and knows the sport inside out. After being mistreated and underappreciated by the men she works for in sports, she goes out on her own with a young thug named Luther (the fine Omar Epps) whom she thinks has potential. With help from some old friends of her late uncle (himself a pro boxer), she turns Luther into a winner. Along the way, the attention goes to Jackie's head and she starts to alienate those around her, including her fighter who then wants out of his contract with her.

Charles S. Dutton directed and plays trainer Felix, Tony Shahloub is Jackie's main adversary and Tim Daly is a local TV reporter and her romantic interest. It is a great movie, but I think the ending is kind of abrupt, Luther wins the title fight everyone thought he wasn't ready for, then he and Jackie hug and make up...did he get out of his contract? Did she hook up with the reporter? Meanwhile, the real Jackie Callen was married with two sons when she started in the business and was from Detroit, not Cleveland. The screenwriter took quite a bit of poetic license. It is still a good movie though, a great mix of comedy and drama.

Loved this movie!
****
I really loved this movie. I read the other reviews (most of which were negative) and strongly disagree with them. I think Meg Ryan was wonderful, likewise Charles Dutton and the other actors. I am not a boxing fan. That doesn't matter. This movie is good entertainment. It is based on a true story of a female boxing manager who lets fame go to her head, makes some bad choices, and eventually...discovers what really matters. Men will love it (for the fight scenes, Meg Ryan, and the competition) and women will love it because it shows what women are capable of---anything---even in a man's world). Rent it or buy it---you won't be sorry. Great date movie.
****

RIveting and inspirational
Grab this DVD as quickly as you can. Here's why:
1. It tells the true story of a woman, Jackie Kallen, who broke into the male-dominated boxing world. Very inspirational and Meg Ryan's performance is strong and solid.
2. There's an interview with the real Jackie Kallen and a behind the scenes look at how and why the movie was made.
3. The movie is gripping to watch and Kallen isn't portrayed as a stereotype or saint but as a very real (and flawed) person. In short, this isn't a "fluffy" movie but one that tries to be relatively honest (by Hollywood standards).
Very riveting, great fight scenes, strong perfromances - what more is there to say?