Rightintool Tool Tribute As a former boxer, an aficionado of boxing movies wanted to like this movie more than I did. That said, the overall story, the acting, the angle was actually very very very good. The biggest problem I had was the soundtrack trying to ground it as a period piece that too often not only overshadowed the actors but worse, drowned them out. This movie was about the nuance's of Chuck Wepner's life that shaped him. That was a great build in telling a realistic story and not making the character too villainous nor too sympathetic. Basically human. Those drowned out nuances unfortunately for me diluted the potential strength the film could have provided.

svikasha Sylvester Stallone's Rocky series has been widely acclaimed and become a cornerstone of Hollywood's iconic cultural history. However, the man who inspired this famous series remains much more of a mystery. "Chuck" is a Sports bio-pic that tells the story of Chuck Wepner, the former professional boxer who is most well-known for going toe to toe with heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a 1975 title fight. Wepner lost the fight against Ali, but the fighter lasted nearly fifteen rounds in the ring with the world's heavyweight champion. This famous fight was what inspired Sylvester Stallone to create the film "Rocky" in 1976. Chuck is a good move for a number of reasons. The plot is fresh and the movie's narration that dictates the story of Chuck Wepner is both clever and humorous. The movie doesn't take itself too seriously. In fact, it goes out of its way to make fun of movies and Hollywood in general. This is the greatest aspect of the film which willfully recognizes that Hollywood is a world of its own. Rocky is a billion dollar franchise that is recognized around the globe. However, Chuck Wepner, the man who Rocky was based off of, received little if any reward from the film series. While the first Rocky ends after the fight between Rocky and Apollo Creed, Chuck's life goes on, even after the Rocky series takes the world by storm. The majority of "Chuck" is about the rise and fall of a boxer who once had a chance to take the heavyweight championship of the world. In the spirit of raging bull, "Chuck" depicts the athlete at the heart of the film as a deeply flawed individual who is as unfaithful to his wife as he is to his own values. The end of Chuck's boxing career was also the end of his prospects. After a series of unfortunate choices, Chuck ends up being incarcerated. Upon his release he meets the women of his dreams and ends up marrying her. At the final moment of the film, the real-life Chuck can be seen with the women he met after leaving prison at his advanced age. Despite everything the man has witnessed and been through, in 2016 he is still alive and kicking. A fighter till the end. At its core, "Chuck" is a comedy masquerading as a sports film. While there is plenty of comedy, there are some rare moments of sporting thrill. My favorite scene is when Chuck narrates to the audience on-screen during his fight with Ali, "he'd already closed both my eyes, broke my nose, and he was still dancing circles around me. I didn't care. I was just happy to be in the ring with him. I don't remember much after that, except trying to stay on my feet. I could feel him hitting me. No pain, just the thud of his fists. Bone on bone. Boom. Boom".

lavatch The date is March 23, 1975. The place is the old Cleveland Colosseum arena. The big event is a humdrum boxing tuneup for Muhammad Ali after his stunning defeat of George Foreman in Zaire. The patsy, who was expected to be dispatched by Ali in three rounds, is the "Bayonne Bleeder," Chuck Wepner. It turns out that Wepner will be remembered for one moment in the ninth round when he surprising sent Ali to the canvas on the seat of his pants. One of the film's themes is that Wepner is the prototype of Rocky Balboa. But was the life depicted in the film a match with the screen icon conceived by Sylvester Stallone? It is not clear that Stallone was inspired by Wepner for the Rocky films. Indeed, the screenplay for "Chuck" makes it clear that that the classic Anthony Quinn film "Requiem for a Heavyweight" has all of the elements of "Rocky." More to the point, the characterization of Wepner in "Chuck" bears little resemblance to the character of Rocky Balboa. In one defining moment in the film, Wepner lies to a young woman that he was paid $70,000 by Stallone for the rights to tell his story. When caught in the lie, Wepner tells his best friend that he didn't want to look like a "chump" in the eyes of the young woman. Throughout the film, we see a profile of a chump more than a champ.The film was especially successful in the screen writing. The dialogue was lively, especially in the characterization of Wepner's feisty wife Phyllis (Elizabeth Moss). Wepner, as performed effectively with a hangdog look by Liev Schreiber, is portrayed on a downward spiral with his horrendous life decisions that earns him twenty-six months in the Northern State Prison of Newark as a drug dealer.The cinematography of "Chuck" was successful in evoking the 1970s through a sepia glaze. The film actually had the look and feel of "Rocky." And Schreiber, who contributed to the screenplay, courageously portrayed a character who was not very likable. Instead of having the eye of the tiger, the Chuck Wepner in this film had the blood-shot eye of the Bayonne Bleeder. In the end, Schreiber leaves us with an unforgettable portrait of a journeyman boxer and a failed pursuit of the American Dream.

Dave McClain Sylvester Stallone has denied that his character of Rocky Balboa was inspired by heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner, who fought professionally from 1964 to 1978. Well, let's just take a look at some of what happens in the "Rocky" movies, shall we? In the original "Rocky" (1976), an unknown white boxer was plucked from obscurity and given a shot at the heavyweight title by a flamboyant black champion. No one gave Chuck, er, I mean, no one gave "Rocky" much of a chance, but he trained hard (old-school) and greatly exceeded expectations during the fight. In "Rocky III" (1982), Rocky gets in the boxing ring for a match against a hulking professional wrestler and, at one point, the wrestler picks Rocky up and drops him to the ground outside the ropes. In "Rocky IV" (1985), Rocky watched James Brown sing from inside the ring before a match. In the career of what real life boxer did all those things happen? Chuck Wepner. Who wrote and starred in all six "Rocky" movies? Sylvester Stallone. It's no wonder that Wepner called himself "the real Rocky". Likewise, it's no wonder that the bio-pic dramedy "Chuck" (R, 1:38) was made to tell Wepner's story. I could say more about the details in common between the careers of Rocky and Chuck, but trying to avoid spoilers (in case you don't know Chuck's story), I'll just refer you to something Chuck says in the movie: "You don't know me. Well, you know me, but you don't know you know me." It's worth mentioning up front that this isn't the story of the making of "Rocky". "Chuck" is about Chuck. The release of "Rocky" changed Chuck's life, but he was the same person before, during and after his proverbial 15 minutes of fame. Chuck worked as a liquor distributor to pay the bills. He was a boxer because it was what he did best. He wasn't the quickest, strongest or most successful heavyweight of his day, but he could take a punch. In fact, he could take a whole lot of punches (a beating, really) and keep coming back for more. They called him the Bayonne Bleeder. He hated the name, but he loved the fame. Chuck enjoyed being recognized and treated special – especially by the ladies. Never mind that he had a devoted wife, Phyliss (Elisabeth Moss), and a loving daughter, Kimberly (Sadie Sink), back home… growing increasingly frustrated by the selfish and neglectful way that Chuck was treating them.Chuck's life changed forever in 1975. After Muhammad Ali took the world heavyweight title from George Foreman in the fight known as "the Rumble in the Jungle", Ali said he wanted to fight "a white guy". Since Chuck was the only white guy among the top 10 ranked heavyweight boxers in the world, his manager (Ron Perlman) took care of the details and Chuck Wepner, little known outside of New Jersey, got a shot at the title. For this first time in his career, he trained full time for this fight which took place near Cleveland, OH. Chuck's performance against Ali (Pooch Hall) increased his celebrity greatly. Then he became even more famous the following year when the new movie "Rocky" seemed to mirror his life, especially regarding the Ali fight. As Chuck tried to take advantage of being the guy who inspired the 1976 Best Picture Oscar winner by reaching out to Sylvester Stallone himself, Chuck was also increasing his selfish behaviors, using cocaine and pursuing even more women, including a local bartender named Linda (Naomi Watts), who didn't want anything to do with him… a sentiment now shared by Phyliss."Chuck" is a very entertaining and long-overdue movie. Chuck Wepner's story is indeed the stuff of Hollywood – in the "Rocky" movies – and in this movie which reveals Chuck's story to be as interesting as Rocky's. This film had four writers whose combined efforts really do the story justice. They are Jeff Feuerzeig (known mainly for writing and directing documentaries… including "The Real Rocky" for ESPN), Jerry Stahl (mainly a TV show writer, he also wrote 2003's "Bad Boys II"), Michael Cristofer ("Original Sin", "Bonfire of the Vanities", "The Witches of Eastwick") and Live Schreiber, who, besides being the film's star and co-writer, also helped produce. The screenplay focuses on the drama, but has an effective and organic humor about it. In the hands of director Philippe Falardeau (who directed Reese Witherspoon's 2014 film "The Good Lie"), and in the practically perfect performance of Schreiber, this film portrays the most eventful decade of Chuck's life without judgment, showing his highs and his lows, and never loses sight of his humanity. Another quote from the movie sums it up nicely: "Sometimes life is like a movie. And sometimes it's better." This film is better than most. "A-"