BEFORE DIVING INTO THIS BIOPIC......
..... FIRST...Let us FOCUS on the Title's Content and Context:
"Now if you all didn't have Don King...You'd have to invent him!", proclaims a larger-than-life Don King at the end of this Biopic. Moments later we see the standard, "Some scenes or events have been changed or altered for dramatic effect" biopic disclaimer clause. Makes you wonder just how much is really 'TRUE' and how much is Production invention! (Possible HBO payback for Pay-per-View deals that haven't gone so well?) Do the words "Conflict of Interest" mean anything to anybody?
HBO movies are invariably a 7* to 10* experience for me...Especially biotics.(OOPS! Decided to let this typo stand...Has a rather ironic/sardonic ring to it, wouldn't you say?) ONLY IN AMERICA was not up to HBO's usual standard of excellence. Since 5.5* is not an option, 6* is what you see above. What kept America somewhere in the barely OK zone, as opposed to not at all, were the numerable pop-cultural nostalgic moments, events and personalities, in addition to the behind-the-scenes story itself.
For AMERICA to have really soared, it required a top-notch performance from Ving Rhames. Although there were some scenes where he does really shine, unfortunately, a lot of his acting seems more like something of a caricature, a crude parody of the real thing! That Rhames won a Golden-Globe for his portrayal of King simply baffles me! Sorry, his performance just doesn't seem that great to me! Putting it mildly, HBO presents an extremely unflattering portrait of Mr. King: A back-stabbing, foul-mouthed, self-aggrandizing, utterly ruthless, oft-times buffoonish and chronically malapropistic speaker. (Although he did show improvement on this score as the years passed) But, pop-culturally speaking, you can't deny there's a lot going on in America! Apparently, most people seem to like this film a lot more than I did...So, try it if you will!
....ENJOY / DISFRUTELA!
Any comments, questions or observations, in ENGLISH... o en ESPAÑOL, are most welcome!
"Now if you all didn't have Don King...You'd have to invent him!", proclaims a larger-than-life Don King at the end of this Biopic. Moments later we see the standard, "Some scenes or events have been changed or altered for dramatic effect" biopic disclaimer clause. Makes you wonder just how much is really 'TRUE' and how much is Production invention! (Possible HBO payback for Pay-per-View deals that haven't gone so well?) Do the words "Conflict of Interest" mean anything to anybody?
HBO movies are invariably a 7* to 10* experience for me...Especially biotics.(OOPS! Decided to let this typo stand...Has a rather ironic/sardonic ring to it, wouldn't you say?) ONLY IN AMERICA was not up to HBO's usual standard of excellence. Since 5.5* is not an option, 6* is what you see above. What kept America somewhere in the barely OK zone, as opposed to not at all, were the numerable pop-cultural nostalgic moments, events and personalities, in addition to the behind-the-scenes story itself.
For AMERICA to have really soared, it required a top-notch performance from Ving Rhames. Although there were some scenes where he does really shine, unfortunately, a lot of his acting seems more like something of a caricature, a crude parody of the real thing! That Rhames won a Golden-Globe for his portrayal of King simply baffles me! Sorry, his performance just doesn't seem that great to me! Putting it mildly, HBO presents an extremely unflattering portrait of Mr. King: A back-stabbing, foul-mouthed, self-aggrandizing, utterly ruthless, oft-times buffoonish and chronically malapropistic speaker. (Although he did show improvement on this score as the years passed) But, pop-culturally speaking, you can't deny there's a lot going on in America! Apparently, most people seem to like this film a lot more than I did...So, try it if you will!
....ENJOY / DISFRUTELA!
Any comments, questions or observations, in ENGLISH... o en ESPAÑOL, are most welcome!