The Champ

source: The Champ

Remake of the 1931 chestnut involving an ex-boxer, who now trains horses, coaxed back into the ring and cheered from the sidelines by his adoring pre-teen son and loving ex-wife. Boxing was big business in the late 1970s thanks to "Rocky", but that was no excuse to dust off this sentimental relic. Jon Voight, just off his Best Actor win for "Coming Home", ditches all the nuances he had achieved up to this point; letting his face go slack with confusion and desperation, he doesn't reveal anything hidden within this character, it's all surface falseness--and Voight is too intrinsically smart to be convincing as a self-destructive bum. Voight's dead-end, melodramatic scenes with Faye Dunaway (also miscast) fail to come off, with Dunaway behaving more like a big sister than a former flame. Shameless from beginning to end, the movie shows no subtlety in detailing Billy Flynn's dilemmas or loyalties, and director Franco Zeffirelli mounts each new sequence with the grace of a bricklayer. *1/2 from ****

Zefferelli's masterpiece went unappreciated in 1979, and is just now being re-discovered. This is a truly special piece of cherished Americana. Jon Voight gives a brilliantly understated performance in the title role and is well supported by the always-brilliant Faye Dunaway, but the true star of this masterpiece is Ricky Schroeder in the Jackie Cooper role as the boy. For a child actor, his range of emotions and abilities to portray pathos are stunning.

This movie has been accused of being overly-sentimental. That's probably true. Nonetheless, I am unable to watch this movie without crying. Jon Voight plays an ex-boxing champion raising his young boy (played by a stellar Ricky Schroder). I think Jon Voight is very good in this film (and I'm not a huge Jon Voight fan), and I think the young Schroder (who was seven, I believe, when he made this film) is fantastic. I find Faye Dunaway (who plays the boy's estranged mother) slightly annoying, but I forgive her because I love the film itself so much. I think Franco Zefferelli's direction is superb, and I enjoy much of the cinematography. I think the relationship between Voight and Schroder is particularly touching, and there are several scenes between them that bring me to tears. I really do give this movie a ten.

Details are a little vague (I saw this back in 1979) but here's what I remember: Story about an ex-boxer (Jon Voight) who's bringing up his son (Ricky Schroder) alone when his wife (Fay Dunaway) left them. Then she returns and wants her son back. She's rich now. Voight has to become a boxer again to provide for his kid...but it might kill him. OK--it's well acted (all three leads are great) and well-done but man is it SYRUPY! The movie is just so cloying and sweet that I started to get annoyed watching it. Also the story is old and has been done many times before. You know how it's going to end. And yeah--I cried at the end but how could you not? This movie went out of its way to wring tears from the audience. I don't mind tearjerkers but this one is so openly trying to make you cry that it gets ridiculous. When a movie starts forcing reactions from its audience that's not good. This gets a 3 only for the actors and a well-done production.

The Champ is the most beautiful Father & Son story I have ever seen. The films emotional ending will go down in history as the saddest scene ever on film. Rick Schroder is amazing. A must see!!! Jon Voight is extremely convincing as a retired prize fighter. He also looks like Rick Schroders Father. Faye Dunaway come s off well. The director Zeffereli is a amazing story teller. You may have scene his Mac Beth with Mel Gibson. Rent this when you want to really feel some strong emotion. Rick Schroder was cast to stardom from it. It might just make you call your father and say I love you. More films need to made like this. It seems Hollywood is interested in special effects movies and they have forgotten the heart. On a separate note, Rick Schroder just made his own boxing film called "Black Cloud"it is also amazing and has tons of heart, The boxing scenes in Schroders film are the best I have ever seen. The same boxing coach from the champ worked on Schroders BLACK CLOUD. DVD comes out June 7th for Black Cloud.

"The Champ" is a completely over the top over-dramatized production that might be emotional for some but horrible for others, especially for movie critics. The movie starts off very slow and to be honest quite boring. After the first half hour the movie gets a bit better and more interesting to watch but after that the movie becomes extremely over the top dramatized and just when the movie starts to be interesting and the drama more believable, the movie suddenly focuses on Billy Flynn's boxing match instead of the drama. I liked the boxing match, I liked it a lot but it simply didn't fitted in the context of the movie. The relationship between the three main characters is done really well thanks to the good script. Jon Voight and Faye Dunaway are good actors however they seem to have been miss casted and both don't seem to be happy in their role and Rick Schroder who is now better know for his role in "NYPD Blue" gives a good lesson in overacting. All in all, a drama not worth seeing. 5/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

This is arguably Jon Voight's finest acting performance with the possible exception of The Odessa File. Jon Voight plays Billy Flynn an ex boxing champion with Ricky Shroder playing his eight year old son, T.J Flynn. Billy Flynn is now a horse trainer bringing up his son after a divorce some seven years ago when T.J. was just a baby. Billy loves a drink and is addicted to gambling and bringing up his son does have problems. The problems intensify when his ex-wife, now remarried, appears on the scene to see her son after seven long years. T.J. knows her only as Annie and is played by Faye Dunaway. Annie starts to come between Billy and T.J even though T.J has undying love for his father. As Billy gets further into trouble, his only way of securing a life for his son is to make one last come-back into the boxing ring. The film is very poignant, emotional and has so many sad sequences. Poor T.J. is constantly in tears and whenever his tears flowed, so did mine. The Champ is a superb movie, a must see, and although over 20 years old, still has a place today. The problems that existed then, still exist today. Booze, gambling, single parentage, divorce and reconciliation. Only the clothing fashions are different.

I first watched this film in 1980 as a five year old with my gran and we managed to distort the credits through our tears and sobbing. I received the video about four years ago, and as a twenty-two year old it had the same effect. Last night, I watched the Champ with my girlfriend and I am happy to say that the years haven't mellowed me and we were both in floods of tears before I switched the film off. I defy anybody who has an emotional bone in their body not to be touched by the story of Billy Flynn, and more importantly TJ. I won't give any of the storyline away as it will make it all the better for watching if you haven't seen it. As for me, I can't wait until the Champ get's it DVD release as I will be first in the queue. "I want the Champ !"

...with the rating of this masterpiece. A 5.8/10? -_- I am upset about this. What you have here is an epic movie that deserves a 9/10. It's the story of the love between a boy and his father, and the boy trying to make it on his own when his mother and father can't. The movie starts out very big on horse-racing, showing how Jon Voight, "The Champ", is and gives brief glimpses into his past life. After awhile though, his whole past comes back to him when his son unknowingly meets his mother and develops a bond with her. Conflict between him and his wife rises and we see even deeper into what was a merely a shell of his life in the beginning of the film; he is complicated and emotionally bruised man, snapping sometimes at his son that he loves with all his heart. The film has the most believable performances I have ever seen on screen, and is a tearjerker. But it doesn't try to make you cry once; the entire second half of the film is full of these scenes. Some work while others don't. Either way, it shows the true power and delicacy of unconditional love, and the way it ends leaves you gasping for breath because of the emotional impact it leaves. Not perfect, but it deserves a solid 9.0/10.