With the boxart, theatrical trailer and hullabaloo about Omar Epps learning to box for this film, it?s easy to understand how moviegoers (and now DVD owners) would think ?Against the Ropes? was about the sport of boxing. Yes, the film is about Don King-like promotions. Yes, it?s about the most successful female boxing manager in the history of the sport. And yes, it?s got some fantastic boxing sequences that featured no stunt doubles. But ?Against the Ropes? is named for the personal quandary in which the main character finds herself, and it?s that story of personal growth that makes the recent DVD release a knockout film.
Meg Ryan plays the role of Jackie Kallen, a real-life promoter who got hands-on with the sport after years of public relations, marketing and exposure to the world of boxing. Since the story is inspired by a true story, not necessarily telling one blow by blow, Ryan is able to take some liberties with the role of Kallen. Even with those liberties, and perhaps because of some of them, Ryan does a fantastic job of portraying the strength of a woman who defied the odds ? and a male-dominated sport ? to find the success she?d dreamed of for years.
After years of serving an unappreciative and emotionally abusive boss, Kallen gets a shot to own the contract of an up-and-coming boxer. While discovering first-hand the athlete?s shortcomings, Kallen stumbles upon a rough-and-tumble punk who she believes has the potential to be the next great lightweight champ. The rest of the movie chronicles her growth as a promoter, her growth from underdog to egomaniac to matriarch, and the subsequent development of her prize fighter, Luther Shaw (portrayed by Omar Epps).
Well-choreographed fights fill in the blanks of ?Against the Ropes,? but it?s the personal growth story that really drives the film forward. And not in the same sense as ?Rocky.? The emotional growth of Ryan?s character in ?Against the Ropes? is what keeps you engrossed, and her emotional swings are as well-delivered as the literal swings from Epps? punk-turned-boxer. Viewers pull for Ryan as the underdog, despise her as the egomaniac yet feel for her again by the end of the film. Likewise, Epps? character initially draws skepticism, then empathy and finally pride as he and Ryan find middle ground. Going into the film expecting to see an action movie a la ?Rocky? will only set viewers up for disappointment. ?Against the Ropes? is about boxing in the loosest sense; it uses boxing only as a vehicle to tell the personal story, not the other way around.
The bonus features on this DVD provide a closer look at the real-life Jackie Kallen and an inside look at the making of the film. The first feature, ?Queen of the Ring,? relies upon interviews with Kallen herself, the producer and several actors to give some historical and personal perspective to the character Ryan portrays. In some respects, the featurette seems an egocentric homage to Kallen; in others, it seems a perfect tribute to a woman who has achieved so much in a male-dominated sport. Either way, it provides some useful background and insight into the woman who inspired the film.
The second featurette, ?A Ringside Seat,? delves into the actual making of the film. Kallen and the director (Charles S. Dutton) evangelize Ryan?s studying of Kallen in the weeks and months leading up to production, but it?s the tale of Omar Epps? learning to box that makes this featurette worthwhile. From choreographer to director to actors, everyone involved with ?Against the Ropes? appreciated Epps? desire to perform each scene and, by necessity, learn how to box. By the end of this featurette, DVD viewers will invariably feel the same way.
As a complete package, ?Against the Ropes? on DVD is well worth the purchase for anyone interested in boxing and/or success stories of women in sports. For everyone else, the DVD is a surprisingly heartwarming story that explores interpersonal relationships and how they change with the ebb and flow of fame. This film is a pleasant surprise, and its release on DVD with bonus features completes the inspiring story that Paramount wanted to tell.
— Jonas Allen
