Cardboard Boxer

Worth watching if for no other reason than its raw depiction of life "on the nickel' this is an unusual film. Its antihero, lured by a mere $50, embarks on a course of action pretty much guaranteed to lead to a falling out with the community. I've heard that the majority of homeless people are suffering from mental problems, and this aspect is played nicely by the actors here. And it is a community; this was the part of the film that surprised me most, the parallel world of the homeless, in which street sex is freely available, $5 gets you a b.j. and pussy costs $5 more. The movie is pretty much plot less, except for a rather unbelievable bolted- on ending that failed to convince me. Still, if you like grit and grime, give it a try.

This is the best feel good movie in years. If you have a heart, it will leave you breathless at times, emotionally exhausted, having laughed and cried, and then feeling so good! It is right on with the feelings one has in being homeless, as I too could not get out of my homeless circumstances, though I tried different cities and states, until in Florida, in utter hopelessness and desperation from years of this I begged a police officer in West Palm Beach to arrest me, but instead he took me to his home, became my biggest hero, and got me out of homelessness. But more importantly, buy this movie, don't rent it! It is a rare gem, and the best medicine for anyone who needs to feel good, and a move such as this one will heal the broken heart.

I attempted to watch what I thought would be a meaningless time passer movie before bed.... I ended up watching a real solid attempt at an emotional movie.. I found my self falling deeper into the pain this movie portrayed. From the first 5 minutes to the last 5 minutes I was fully committed to what this movie has to offer. A film like this really shows a person how hard some people have it and what we all take for granted.. The weak and nieve get prayed upon by the "superior" but in the end we are all human and are capable of amazing things... Most viewers will see the title and move right on by thinking it's just another .50 cent cheap thrill, that lately has seemed to over saturate the movie industry. This is not that kind of movie. Enjoy it as I did and come away feeling pretty blessed about how lucky you have it.

Thomas Hayden Church plays Willie, a homeless man with a little missing in the head. Based on the title of the movie, the film was about Willie getting paid by some rich kids to fight other homeless people for their entertainment. The other star on the poster, Terrance Howard plays a man who was able to get himself off the streets and comes back to help those he left behind, trying to seek out these rich kids and stop them from exploiting the homeless.

The richness of the film comes from Church trying to keep his mind straight, and doing this after coming across the diary of a young burn victim writing about the experience. He finds comfort writing letter to her inside the diary.

Overall the film does a great job of making you look differently at the homeless. It get inside the mind of a man living on the streets, and it does not try to figure him out, just make him human.

However, the movie does clean up far too well, and somehow this takes away from completely getting under your skin about the situation.

It's a well driven vehicle for Church, especially with Howard riding shotgun, but it does not have the emotion needed for people to go out and see it.

I don't really care about any body else's review . I'm an Er doc and I've seen homeless people for most of my life and career.He did a great job showing there desperation and how they have been abandoned.These people are human beings not to be manipulated and deserve the same respect as everyone else.It's not a popular fad to help someone in need .It's a need we should inherently have to help our own species.What else have we become ?Not driven by media but by emotion . Not by government and programs but by the the individual who gives that person a hug ( the burnt child that gives Mr Church in the final scene) .Thank you ,if you ever read this Mr Church.