Big George Foreman

George Foreman is a hugely impressive man, of that there is no question. What he achieved in the sport of boxing is truly phenomenal and deserves to be committed to film. However, a remarkable life does not necessarily make a remarkable film, and that is painfully evident with this biopic.

For a two hour film it feels excruciatingly long. The pace is ploddy and lethargic and it is a real chore at times. There's a lack of creative or visual flair in the filmmaking which doesn't help with this issue. The boxing sequences are also relatively flat which doesn't help either.

In terms of the story, it is very interesting. I knew next to nothing about Big George before watching this film, so learning about his rise in boxing was really interesting, but the story isn't overly well told. It zips past too many areas and lingers in others for too long. It is always difficult with a biopic deciding which areas to focus on across an entire life, and I don't think this one gets it quite right.

I wasn't entirely convinced with the lead performance either. Khris Davis is a fine actor I'm sure but too often he just felt off. I can't put my finger on it but it just doesn't work.

Quite often the tone felt off as well. The initial half an hour or so was incredibly cheesy, with really quite poor dialogue.

As negative as all of that sounds, I did enjoy this film. It isn't overly well made and feels pretty clunky in parts, but it's hard to ignore how fun and engaging the story is. When you have such a brilliantly interesting man at the centre of your biopic, it's hard not to make a compelling film. Despite its lack of flair, this is still a solidly engaging biopic.

I sure learned a lot from this biographical film, and Foreman's story is like one of those fictional underdog Hollywood films, but it's true. It doesn't get much better than that. All casting and performances where excellent, especially Sullivan Jones who emulated Muhammad Ali perfectly. Even though the pacing felt a little slow at times, the 129 min runtime still flew by with the many vast sub-plots that contributed to Foreman's life story. The screenplay had great fluidity and cohesiveness to it, and was very easy to follow, albeit a little reserved. My only complaint was that I felt the action/fight sequences were filmed underwhelmingly, and could've used more dramatics and better choreography. Plus I felt they were a little too short and rushed, and the focus was more on the story than the action. I'm ok with that, because I wasn't expecting a Rocky or Creed film, but the biographical story of a legendary human being, and that's exactly what I got.

Wow, I'm also very surprised as to how few people have gone to see this in the theatre. It really is a very real, and very inspiring story. It's far too real for many of the critics it seems. Many of them seem to want heartless and flashy nowadays, or overdramatic films with a much more unrealistic heart. There's none of that here, and I'd rather watch more grounded films like this any day of the week. Personally I really didn't care much for the bloated, semi-factual and overly choppily directed Elvis film from 2022. I strongly preferred this much more real feeling story.

I still remember the night Foreman became the Heavyweight Champion of the World for the 2nd time. It was pretty much all anyone was talking about for the next while. How could it even happen? He inspired a ton of old people and a ton of kids as well. To me, Ali and Foreman are truly among histories most inspirational athletes, and more than that, just very inspirational people. They were real however, they both had flaws, but for the most part, both of them successfully overcame many of their shortcomings as well. Both men in fact did it while being greatly inspired by their faith. The film does seem a little rushed at times, as it likely needed to be. When we're dealing with a real persons life, and trying to fit all of the most important parts into a film, that just often has to be the way. Otherwise you end up with a film that's way too long. All in all, I'm certainly glad I went and saw this. Thank you George, for sharing your very inspiring story.

7/10.

Overall the movie does a very good job taking the viewer through the life of George Foreman who is often overshadowed by Muhammed Ali. The movie takes its time walking the audience through the major stages of his life and from my knowledge is quite historically accurate. As for the entertainment value it doesn't pack the same punch as the fictional Creed movies and the fight scenes lack the flare of those in Creed or Rocky , but the movie is not as much about Foreman's boxing career solely as it is more about the man's journey through life.

His accomplishments in the ring are no doubt impressive, but the story of how he arrived there is perhaps more interesting. Certainly a must see movie for any fan of boxing history , but it probably won't connect with viewers who have never heard of George Foreman before. It also lacks some of the glitz and glamour of other boxing movies which could lead some viewers to view it less favorably.

This movie covers George Foreman's life from his childhood to regaining the world heavyweight championship later in life. Foreman has had a pretty incredible life, which is why it's difficult to cover it in a two hour movie. Many seminal moments and important people in his life (besides his mother and boxing coach) seem a bit like a blur as we hurry from one important event to the next. For what it is, it's a pretty enjoyable movie with a strong performance, if a bit one dimensional, from the lead actor Khris Davis. Although brief, the boxing sequences were well done and intense. Not a fan of these bio-pics stylistically, but this is one of the better attempts to cover a rollercoaster of a life.