Touches You

People are voting emotionally.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

When the champions promoter, Rev. Sultan, decides something new is needed to boost the attraction of boxing, he searches and finds the only man to ever beat the champ. The problem is that he isn't a boxer anymore and he's white. However, once Rev. Sultan convinces him to fight, he goes into heavy training while the current champ takes it easy and falls out of shape....I'm guessing this film was only made to give the then relatively fresh Jackson trope a starring vehicle. After all, he was amazing in Pulp Fiction, DHWAV, and Fresh, but as a supporting role, rather than charge of a film.And the result is one of the most confusing things I have seen in a long time, and very boring to boot.So what we have here is Jackson showcasing his trademark yell in the guise of Don King, supported by a who's who of b-list actors, and a then quite famous Damon Wayans in a fat prosthetic.The film is a mix of Rocky III and The Naked Gun, but without the laughs or the thrill of decent pugilism. It doesn't have a message to give, other than if your greedy and try to take from the best, you will lose.There is some sub plot involving why a Black fighter is being usurped by Berg, but all that consists of is Jamie Foxx mugging, and Jackson laughing a lot.Goldblum is as great as always, but again, it's all about selling out, the wonderful message this film has.Be a sell out, become rich and arrogant, and you'll be famous.Only in America....

The situation is perfect. It's one of the movies where there is nothing bad to refer to. It's about only one match and how it exposes the contradictions of this world; which's here the community of boxing. I loved how the whole characters declare something moral while achieving their hidden, damn materialistic, aims. In fact the shown scene is for America when money is god, and 99 % of the Americans are so godly! The casting is the movie's biggest hit; everyone was in the right place. The script is lissome, coming to its point without any elongation. The characters are made in a way suits the desired in this drollery of a movie. It harmonies smartly, carrying out itself as enjoyable, being an enough compensation from director (Reginald Hudlin) for his previous, real bad, movie (Boomerang – 1992). It was so good to an extent forces you to ask why it was that short? Why the gifted supporting actors (Jon Lovitz, Cheech Marin, Jamie Foxx,..) didn't have more on-screen time with more material? Actually, it's not basically a comedy inasmuch as a satire; that could bother some I suppose, since the funniness wasn't as high as the sarcastic criticism, with comic actors around while not making many laughs. However, it said all what Oliver Stone's surely heavier, louder and longer movie (Any Given Sunday) stretched and overload 3 years later, and in focused nice way as well. (The Great White Hype) is a jest where the substance is itself the surface totally unlike the world it sneered at. It's only imperfect point is that some jests can't be used more than once. So, despite how I liked it, I may find nothing in it to be re-watched again (except for Damon Wayans running after the ice cream's van of course !). Finally, do I smell a point of view in the title about how the great hype is "white" in the first place ?!

This is ridiculously profane film with a lot of guys who like to say mother-f-this, mother-f- that, over and over. Some of that is tolerable but this is way over the line. Along with that is a nasty, angry tone to the film. It's supposed to be a comedy, but I found few laughs.I did enjoy the digs at the pro boxing scene these days, which is and has been in a sorry state for the last several decades. There's a special dig at promoters, and we all know Don King was the motivation for Laurence Fishburne's role here.I couldn't finish the film, to be frank. There are too many other good movies to waste time watching - and listening - to this. It's a shame, because this film certainly had a good cast.

This movie has a lot of fun making fun of both the boxing world and itself. It's not really much of a movie, but it has moments. I recommend it as one of those movies that, if you're channel-surfing on cable and you happen to come across it, and there's really nothing else on, then watch it. It's not a complete waste of time, but it's not a movie that you should run out and rent.