There’s a lot to be said for women-empowerment films like “Erin Brockovich,” since this style of film is inspiring and can motivate audiences to believe they can do anything they set their minds to.
“Against the Ropes” is not one of these films.
Meg Ryan’s latest film is less an inspirational film of success than it is a Lifetime original movie brought to the big screen. “Against the Ropes” is a fictionalized account of the life of Jackie Kallan, one of the first female boxing managers. The movie follows Kallan as she discovers Luther Shaw (Omar Epps) when she witnesses him beat up a junky boxer for drug money. Kallan trains him with the help of Felix Reynolds (Charles Dutton), and the plot goes from there in the most unsurprising manner possible.
The entire premise is contrived. How probable is it that someone could find a boxing star after watching him beat up another person for drug money? Just about every character outside of Kallan and Shaw are either saints or evil — there is no in-between. The plot focuses on the fame going to Kallan’s head; a development that has been seen in every “ordinary-person-turns-famous” film since the beginning of time. It’s as if the writers were too lazy to actually think of a story line that wasn’t predictable.
The film is marketed as a drama, but there is no drama. There isn’t even a moment where you wonder what’s going to happen.
It isn’t all bad, though. Ryan does an impeccable job of bringing Kallan to life. Everything from the wardrobe to the accent is done in a wonderful impression of the real Kallan. The actors also have terrific chemistry with one another, which helps make the characters be more than just flat and one-dimensional. Epps, in particular, does a fabulous job at portraying Shaw, a boxer who is stunned by his sudden fame and his manager’s ego trip.
“Against the Ropes” is a film that you’d go see on a rainy afternoon when you’re eager to take a break from finals. If you’re expecting anything deeper than a made-for-TV movie, you will be sorely disappointed.
Rated PG-13
Released Feb. 20
Studio: Paramount
