238. Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story Of The Once And Future Heavyweight Champion Of The World; movie review

 

BIG GEORGE FOREMAN: THE MIRACULOUS STORY OF THE ONCE AND FUTURE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD

Cert 12A

129 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, bloody images

I already knew a lot about the George Foreman story right down to regularly using his famous grill and I was rather disappointed with this biopic.

Mrs W knew him only for his presence in the kitchen rather than the boxing and found George Tillman Jr's picture riveting.

It certainly had plenty of worthwhile material - from the poverty of his early life through his Olympic and World Championship wins to his surprise retirement and the dramatic return to the ring.

Oh, and the fella had 12 kids, five of whom are called George!

The movie traces Foreman's life from his childhood in Texas where he was known for fighting at school and seemed to be destined for a life of criminality.

It shows how he was straightened up by joining Job Corps and earned much-needed money while training in carpentry and brick-laying.

He was also encouraged to channel his aggression into boxing and was taken under the reluctant tutelage of coach Doc Broadhus, played by Forest Whitaker.

The movie chronicles Foreman's career from the highs of winning the Olympic gold and the World Heavyweight Championship belt to the lows... including the famous Rumble in Jungle fight with Muhammad Ali.

But a movie would not have been made if there hadn't been more drama with his religious conversion, his financial fall from grace and his eyebrow-raising emergence from boxing retirement.

This was one of the most startling stories ever in the world of sport and yet is curiously presented as a matter of fact.

Its clunkiness is down to the director but I also felt that Khris Davis lacked impact in the title role. 

That said, the ring scenes are impressive.

But perhaps my view is down to my high levels of expectation. I was really keen to see this movie and it didn't live up to my anticipation.

As said, Mrs W thought I was too harsh and enjoyed it more.

Reasons to watch: One of sport's great stories

Reasons to avoid: Clunkier than I expected

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6.5/10

Did you know? The George Foreman Grill has been sold to more than 100 million people across the world and Foreman received $140 million for the commercial rights.

The final word. George Foreman: "The only reason I was interested in doing a movie, period, was to tell the story of what happened in a dressing room. I died for a split-second. I tasted death and had a second chance to live. You wake up and say, 'It's not that bad, I'm still alive." USA Today

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