Champs (film)
| Champs | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Bert Marcus |
| Written by | Bert Marcus |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John Tipton |
| Edited by |
|
Production company | Bert Marcus Productions |
Release date |
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Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Champs is a 2014 documentary film focusing on boxers Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Bernard Hopkins. This epic story of the rise of three of the most successful boxers of our time challenges the perception of the American Dream through the intimately personal life trajectories of Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Bernard Hopkins. Much like modern day gladiators, the protagonists come from the bottom rungs of society, choosing the path of boxing or “the poor man’s sport,” as a last resort, and an alternative to much bleaker options such as prison or, worse yet, death. Following these fighters’ paths from success to self-discovery, they recount their battles while illuminating our country’s most critical social issues, including the struggle with poverty, racial inequality, broken homes, drug and alcohol abuse, violence and the failures of our educational and prison systems. CHAMPS unearths the unique resilience of these men in the face of life’s most difficult obstacles — from personal finance to sustained brain injury — and highlights how our society and their industry exalts their fleeting success, but leaves them without the skills, protections, medical care and training that they need to succeed outside of the ring. We call them “champs” in sport, but cannot help but ask whether they can truly be champions in life.
The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 19, 2014.[1] Starz Media and Amplify will distribute the film. The film will premiere with a large-scale roll-out debuting both in theaters and on VOD in Q1 of 2015.[2]
Cast
- Mike Tyson
- Evander Holyfield
- Bernard Hopkins
- Mark Wahlberg
- Denzel Washington
- Ron Howard
- Spike Lee
- Mary J. Blige
- 50 Cent
Reception
John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "In his debut doc about superstar fighters, Bert Marcus offers more sociology than boxing fans may expect, using mean-streets origin stories not just for biographical intrigue but to comment on hardships his subjects faced later in life."[3] Nick Schlager of Slant Magazine rated it 2/4 stars and called it "an unfocused mishmash that thrives only when it fixates on footage of actual bouts".[4] At Indiewire, Kevin Jagernauth wrote that it "examines what it means to be a man",[5] and Zeba Blay described it as "more a social documentary than a sports documentary".[6] Ashton Morris of The Hot Zone said, "Bert Marcus, with keen intellect and whimsical creativity, illuminates a long ignored "issue" – that's putting it lightly – in a sport that has left its mark on the fabric of our country's history."[7]
References
- ^ Slattery, Luke (2014-04-24). "Mike Tyson 'Takes Inventory' in Tribeca Doc 'Champs'". Indiewire. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
- ^ Lang, Bret (2014-09-15). "Amplify, Starz Buy Mike Tyson Documentary 'Champs,' Plan 2015 Release". Variety. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
- ^ DeFore, John (2014-04-25). "Champs: Tribeca Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
- ^ Schlager, Nick (2014-04-19). "Champs". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
- ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (2014-04-28). "Tribeca Review: Boxing Documentary 'Champs' Brings The American Dream Ringside". Indiewire. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
- ^ Blay, Zeba (2014-04-21). "Tribeca Review: 'Champs' Spotlights Career Trajectory Commonalities Of 3 Champion Boxers". Indiewire. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
- ^ Ashton, Morris (2014-05-01). "THZ Exclusive: "Champs" Review". The Hot Zone. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
External links
- Champs at IMDb
- Champs at Rotten Tomatoes
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