Directed by Reginald Hudlin. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, Peter Berg, Damon Wayans, Jon Lovitz, Jamie Foxx, Michael Jace, John Rhys-Davies, Corbin Bernsen, Cheech Marin, Salli Richardson, Rocky Caroll. (R)
Disappointed by the low profits of the latest heavyweight title bout, fight promoter Jackson (clearly inspired by Don King) decides to "play the race card" and promote a clash between black champ Wayans and little-known white boxer Berg, an amateur who hasn't stepped into the ring in years. Uneven sports satire certainly has its moments, especially in the early-going, with a good grasp on the boxing world and shady behind-the-scenes practices, but the momentum is too often derailed by sitcom-level hack jokes and trying to tackle too many undernourished side characters and sub-plots--Lovitz all but disappears in the second half, Marin is given only a couple of wisecracks to work with, and Jace and Foxx simply pop up at random intervals throughout. No faulting the cast, though it's surprising with all that comedic talent on hand that the funniest portrayal belongs to Berg, playing the "great white hope" as a none-too-bright alt-rocker obsessed with fixing a homeless situation he does not even comprehend. Co-written by Ron Shelton (with Tony Hendra), though he greatly disliked what became of the project.
49/100
Disappointed by the low profits of the latest heavyweight title bout, fight promoter Jackson (clearly inspired by Don King) decides to "play the race card" and promote a clash between black champ Wayans and little-known white boxer Berg, an amateur who hasn't stepped into the ring in years. Uneven sports satire certainly has its moments, especially in the early-going, with a good grasp on the boxing world and shady behind-the-scenes practices, but the momentum is too often derailed by sitcom-level hack jokes and trying to tackle too many undernourished side characters and sub-plots--Lovitz all but disappears in the second half, Marin is given only a couple of wisecracks to work with, and Jace and Foxx simply pop up at random intervals throughout. No faulting the cast, though it's surprising with all that comedic talent on hand that the funniest portrayal belongs to Berg, playing the "great white hope" as a none-too-bright alt-rocker obsessed with fixing a homeless situation he does not even comprehend. Co-written by Ron Shelton (with Tony Hendra), though he greatly disliked what became of the project.
49/100