Rating of
1.5/4
Ali himself was more of a knockout
Freddie - wrote on 01/21/09
I remember when this movie came out there was all this hype. Will Smith was supposed to win an Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy, Tony, Teen Choice, Grammy, and everything else out there. To be quite honest, I saw this movie when it came about but completely forgot its exitence until I recently saw preview for it on HBO. This was definitely one of Smith's most forgettable movies. Not to say that he did a bad job; however, I think the movie itself lacked a lot of excitement and intensity. Muhammed Ali was the greatest boxer of his time. He was so outspoken and charged with energy. He had the whole butterfly and bee thing going on. There was no one else like him. So it's only natural that there should be a movie about him, right? Wrong. I think Hollywood made a mistake with this one. Watching old clips of Ali going back and forth with his opponents at press conferences; watching clips of his infamous matches; and just hearing snippets of his life from friends, family, fans was perfect to capture the legendary figure. This movie almost makes you want to forget. I think movies about the introverted tortured souls make a more interesting film as opposed to films based those outward personalities who already put everything out there for us to see. For example,. La Vie en Rose or Introducing Dorothy Dandrige-- they let us into the chaotic lives of two famed singers that we didn't know very well. Even What's Love Got to do With It was such a huge hit because it brought us into the side of the singer that we never got to see. I think Hollywood needs to be careful when they make these movies. Everyone doesn't have a life with great cinematic appeal. Sorry to say, but this Ali flick was a bit of a disappointment.
