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Plot Summary
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.
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Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
12%- Reviews Counted: 132
- Fresh: 16
- Rotten: 116
- Average Rating: 4.2/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: A miscast Ryan struggles with a Detroit accent and a script that goes nowhere.
Rotten: What could have been a Working Girl hoot gets mired in redundant assertions of Kallen's feistiness.
Rotten: By the end, everything that was initially serious about the film becomes silly and everything appealing about it turns sour.
Rotten: This lethargic, pseudo-feminist biopic is barely a notch above a bad TV movie, with one-dimensional characters, cliche-ridden dialogue and fight scenes that are badly choreographed and edited.
Customer Reviews
Delivers a Knock-Out Punch
Meg Ryan delivers a sassy, strong-willed, and defiant Jackie Kallen in this fictional account based upon the real life of North America’s most famous female boxing promoter. Omar Epps, who plays boxer Luther Shaw, is a striking presence himself in this account of how Jackie Kallen assists Luther Shaw to become the hero of the boxing world. The movie is full of heart while still remaining a sports film. It shows how greed is able to compromise a person's morals and shift the dynamics in a relationship. As Kallen and Shaw become increasingly successful throughout the film, a rift forms between the two--one in which the viewer is able to relate. Along with the actors' flare, the witty script, classic cinematography, and cutting-edge direction craft an emotive sports film that gives the audience a knock-out punch. While Jackie Kallen's life account is surely compromised (i.e. in real life, she was married during this time in her life), the tale rightly deserves five stars for this inspirational tale that proves anyone who follows his or her dreams with vigor and determination can reach the top.
Just Ok
This movie was ok if you have nothing better to do. I am not sure I would have rented if I knew what I was going to get. I just really wanted to rent a sports movie and I have seen most of the others. This is the typical boxing movie. Hard headed raw boxer gets trained to become a really good boxer and whoops the competition. The only twist is that a women (Meg Ryan) is doing the managing. The movie was just ok.
Great Film
I enjoyed the film very much I love the way the start out boxing his first match in buffalo ny which at one point was a boxing city hosting several events other than that I felt meg Ryan's fiesty fiery side was portrade perfectly as the real Jackie C
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