Movies

‘Big George Foreman’ Review: Not the Biopic a Two-time Champ Deserves

Former boxer George Foreman’s popularity as a cookware pitcher on television in the late 20th century triggered a collective amnesia. I mean, forget how extraordinary his sports career was.Boxing has given us many fighters who have won multiple world champion titles.But Foreman He won his first heavyweight title bout in 1973. And after a long period of swearing he had lost interest in the sport, he was back and in 1994 he won another title at the age of 45.

Wow — it seems like someone should make a movie out of it. Unfortunately, “The Big George Foreman,” directed by George Tillman Jr., is surprisingly flat. Subtitled “The Miraculous Tale of a World Heavyweight Champion, Once and Future,” this is a movie whose heart is in the right place and whose sense of drama is nowhere to be found. It begins with an angry young man. Joining the hiring program, Foreman — played by the charismatic Chris Davis in his decades-long portrayal — Doc Brodus (Forest Whitaker, more or less underdeveloped character than anyone else, has done his humble best). ) find mentors and trainers. others can be found here). More powerful than any other boxer, George moves from force to force almost imperceptibly.

Until the fight with Muhammad Ali in Zaire where Ali took the heavyweight title from Foreman. This scene, depicted in world history in the 1997 documentary When We Were Kings, is portrayed as a disaster in Foreman’s career.

Synopsis: Foreman found God and quit boxing to preach. With his second wife, he started a new family and set up a youth center that included a room dedicated to former rival Ali. The failure of one reckless and alcoholic school friend) forces him to pick up his gloves again.

All these events and more are rendered with an undercurrent of jitters that seem to be crammed here, but it’s not the worst. ” and “You have me!” The choreography of the battle scenes is mediocre. Like many boxing scenes today, it was heavily influenced by Raging Bull and shot with a complete misunderstanding of Scorsese’s approach to the film. The alternating movement of his slow his motion and his fast motion and shots with the camera actually on the glove are not intended to convey exciting action, but rather to emphasize the brutal corporal punishment a boxer gives and receives. bottom. The film not only does Foreman justice, but it also puts Davis and the rest of the engaging cast on the ropes.

Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of a Past and Future World Heavyweight Champion
It is rated PG-13 for sports violence. Running time: 2 hours 9 minutes. at the theater.

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