Carman: The Champion

First of all, this movie will draw comparisons to Rocky right off the bat. You might even see some familiar camera angles, poses, and scenes. What you will not see is great acting from a great script. But the boxing scenes are surprisingly well done and quite believable. Real punches don't sound like a sledgehammer smashing a tree stump as Conan O'Brien said of Rocky. They sound more like smacks, the harder ones like thuds. The fights are intense and the blood and sweat flows freely. And lo and behold, the fighters actually block some blows. They got that much right.

Christian movies have long held the dubious distinction of being preachy. Not only that, squeezing the "good news" in is often like throwing an iron bar into the gears of Big Ben: it grinds story progress to a halt. But the movie doesn't Bible-bash or get too wishy-washy at any point.

Carman, who also wrote the script, has some cheesy one-liners and clunky dialogue, but has good screen presence and is helped out by a decent supporting cast. The cinematography looks flashy with some nice earthy filters for the outdoor shots.

On the whole, this is one of the better Christian films to date. It's worth a look. 6/10.

I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars, it's unbelievably good. for whatever reason this movie was not available for preview for critics, and so far I haven't seen any ratings for this movie anywhere.

It's a great movie full of drama, romance and comedy, and with a believable story the movie while having a clear Christian message does not get "preachy" but dispenses with the message while entertaining you and at times keeping you on the edge of your seats, Definitely worth the price of admission at the Theaters, and not a movie you will be embarrassed taking your family

Maybe Hollywood will get the message that we would like great "Family Films" like this one

You may have seen Carman on Christian television networks preaching or explaining eternal damnation in vivid detail. He is also known in the Christian community for his varied music styles -- everything from southern gospel to rap. Yes, rap. This seems to be his attempt at a more mainstream type of "Christian" movie. I don't know that this movie received any type of mainstream success.

What surprised me the most about this movie is how watered down the Christian message is. I would have expected Carman to pull out all the stops, fitting the salvation message in every nook and cranny. In place of a specifically Christian message is a predictable schlocky tale of a former boxer trying to help kids without a chance. Various thug stereotypes are intermixed throughout, along with some romance with a single mom.

There is pretty much no value to this movie besides some actors that got a paycheck. It's just bad enough; but not enough for much MST3K-type commentary. If you are going to go the christian route, find a film that's about the life of Jesus. Otherwise, who cares? You can watch an episode of "Saved by the Bell" and at least that is marginally funny and has about the same quality of a message.

Rarely is a movie made like, "The Champion" and for this we can be eternally grateful. Carman left the music stage for a movie that can only be described as embarrassing. I love Carman's style of music (he's one of my favorite artists), but he doesn't belong in a full-length movie.

The Christian Film industry has produced B-end times flicks like "Judgment", "Tribulation", and "Revelation" which look like classics compared to this movie. As others have mentioned, Carman ripped off quite a bit from Rocky (surprised he didn't take the red, white, and blue shorts from the last few films). It also includes an implausible love story and just for kicks, the gratuitous blowing up a truck.

As noted, the movie has some big problems in terms of morals. While Christians struggle to teach their kids to behave in a morally responsible manner and avoid sexual immorality, Carman makes out in the front seat of his car with a woman he just met while her son sleeps in the back.

While Christians combat the destructive force of organized gambling and the lottery, Carman's character gets the youth center of his dreams because his brother bet a few million on the fight Carman won.

Finally, there was the Commercial with the "Whoop@--" soda which was of poor moral taste.

The film's redeeming values are found in the fact that it spurred Carman's second "Best of" collection including a new single "Heart of a Champion" which would have fit so well with the film.

It was a good story, "we all connect with a fighter in a ring." A little cheesy and a few holes, but it was something to sit and watch that didn't feel like a complete waste of time. Sloppy editing and some poor directing choices burned it including a disapearing puppy and a one date marrage proposal. Some good action in the ring with hard felt punches. You'll never guess who wins the final fight (sarcasm)and you'll never be able to guess why the bitter rivals are hugging eachother after one knocks the other out (no seriously, why would they do that?) The book is better and makes more sense, somebody thought they'd give it a happy ending and that make it better but it just made it too cliche. Rent for the kids don't buy. Buy the book and read it.