La couleur de l'arnaque

A *major* disappointment, especially considering the great cast (Jeff Goldblum aside. I *hate* Goldblum - he's a one-dimensional actor who plays the same bloody character every film he makes and it's not even a good character!!) Samuel Jackson, Damon Wayans, Jamie Foxx, Jon Lovitz (okay, he's also one-dimensional, but *his* character's *funny*!!) and Corbin Bernson...this should be an ace in the hole! But a poor script and worse shooting makes this film hit ground zero pretty fast. It's sloppy, it's long-winded, it shouldn't be shorter, it just needs to be put together more strongly. For example: the Goldblum interview scenes are all horrific. They should be canned or completely redone (preferably with a better actor;).

And it's a comedy yet it's decidedly un-funny. Wayans elicits a laugh or two, and Foxx is amusing...but these two guys should be good for non-stop laughs! And Jackson is almost *too* smooth for this role. He's also much too brilliant an actor...he's poorly suited for a role that's not nearly as competent as he is.

All in all: I actually liked this better the second time I saw it (which isn't saying that much). It's more amusing than I remember it to be. But that's still not enough. It's hardly a keeper - with this kind of cast (oh, by the way - nice cameo by Method Man but someone shoot Brian Setzer PLEASE!!!) it could be SO SO SO much better! 5/10.

Reading through the reviews on here, I can only assume that the humour in this film was wasted on a lot of people. Boxing is one of the few sports that translates well into the movies, with there being a decent number of great films based around the sport. This is slightly different to most however, as it takes a very humorous, cynical approach. There are so many memorable scenes and lines in the movie, right from the opening scene it's spot-on and I really can't work out where this criticism of the direction stems from! The fight scenes are over quickly and are nothing like the real thing - obviously - it's a comedy, not a documentary (sigh).

Like I said, I can only assume that the biting satire has been wasted on some viewers who were clearly expecting something different from the film. Each to their own, the film seems to have missed it's audience, but a 5 or 6 out of ten it certainly isn't! For me, it's definitely one of the better comedies out there. It's sharp, funny and well worth watching. 8 out of 10.

This movie has a lot of fun making fun of both the boxing world and itself. It's not really much of a movie, but it has moments. I recommend it as one of those movies that, if you're channel-surfing on cable and you happen to come across it, and there's really nothing else on, then watch it. It's not a complete waste of time, but it's not a movie that you should run out and rent.

IMO, this movie was severely underrated for its time. It was purposefully cheesy, but precisely insightful (even prescient) about a wide array of problems within boxing, as well as about the use of racist rhetoric and promotion to fuel sales. Today, we have seen the explosion of the internet and social media take these concepts to a new, terrifying level.

The entire cast was excellent, leaning into the cheesiness of their roles and script, but doing so in a very funny way. Three standouts for me: Jackson's performance as the devious yet charismatic master promoter was delightful; Peter Berg is great as an idealist whose good heart but dim wits get used as the center-piece for one of the very things he hates most; and Salli Richardson-Whitfield is absolutely stunning both in her beauty and in her commanding presence despite her male-dominated environment.

First of all, this movie is funny. Even if you're not an insider to the world of boxing, this film makes many references you'll recognize and goes over the top with it and with some of the flamboyant people who have graced the sport.

Then there is the whole idea of finding a white boxer, besides the obligatory "Rocky" that is, that people can get behind to breathe new life into the sport.

Here you have every stereotype of that world thrown in from the promoters to the media personnel who made boxing what it is today -- Hype.

Here is a promoter who is keeping his client from fighting the one guy who can actually beat him (hence ruin their meal tickets), to come up with someone else to make Hype and recover funds he already spent that he can't pay the boxing champ. That among other things. Samuel L. Jackson is fun to watch as is Jeff Goldblum and Jamie Fox and Damon Wayons as the over-hyped champ. Rounding this out is the usual bottom feeders played well by Jon Lovitz and Corbin Bernsen. This movie can be uneven at times, but overall its entertainment, and a sarcastic view into the boxing promotion world like no other. Two stars out of four.