The Champ (1979)

Just perfect...

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

this remake of the 1931 film of the same name,is pretty darn impressive.just like the original film is all about the love a father has for his son,and the son has for his father.Jon Voigt plays the father,a washed up former champion boxer,now an alcoholic and gambler.he also happen to be a father to an eight year boy,played by Ricky Schroder.in the original film,nine year old Jackie Cooper played the son and stole the show.the same thing happens here.Eight year old Ricky Schroder owns the film.the only complaint i have about this film,and it's minor one,is that it's maybe a bit too long.other than,i prefer it to the original.the ending packs a real wallop.for me,The Champ is an 8/10

I'm shocked by how deeply disrespected this film is. Not only is it a wonderful, touching film - but a masterpiece demonstration in character study. In essence, this is a love story. Not a traditional one, mind you - but a story of incredible love between a father and son. The acting is, across the board - PHENOMENAL. I would even argue that Ricky Schroders performance (especially considering his age), is among the very best in the ENTIRE history of cinema. I don't believe that to be even a mild exaggeration. To watch the incredible and genuine love between father and son is remarkable. I've always been and shall remain blown away by this film. Easily one of my favorite movies ever.

...with the rating of this masterpiece. A 5.8/10? -_- I am upset about this.What you have here is an epic movie that deserves a 9/10. It's the story of the love between a boy and his father, and the boy trying to make it on his own when his mother and father can't.The movie starts out very big on horse-racing, showing how Jon Voight, "The Champ", is and gives brief glimpses into his past life. After awhile though, his whole past comes back to him when his son unknowingly meets his mother and develops a bond with her. Conflict between him and his wife rises and we see even deeper into what was a merely a shell of his life in the beginning of the film; he is complicated and emotionally bruised man, snapping sometimes at his son that he loves with all his heart.The film has the most believable performances I have ever seen on screen, and is a tearjerker. But it doesn't try to make you cry once; the entire second half of the film is full of these scenes. Some work while others don't. Either way, it shows the true power and delicacy of unconditional love, and the way it ends leaves you gasping for breath because of the emotional impact it leaves. Not perfect, but it deserves a solid 9.0/10.

Critics (and some viewers) have been lobbing grenades at this four-hankie tear-jerker since the day it was released, accusing it of extreme sentimentality and mawkishness. Nonetheless, for a great many others, it remains a beautiful, touching and memorable version of the 1931 original. Voight is the title character, a former light heavyweight champ who, thanks to taking a few too many hits in his last bout, has retired from the ring and now works as a horse walker at Hialeah. His young son Schroeder idolizes him, despite the fact that Voight has a tendency to drink too much and gambles away any little nest egg that they have been able to tuck away. One day, Voight hits it big and is able to buy Schroeder his own race horse. Schroeder takes on a wealthy fellow owner (Blondell) and attracts the attention of her friend Dunaway. When Dunaway befriends Schroeder and bets on his horse, it sets off a chain reaction of events that lead to a lot of emotional upheaval and tragedy for all involved. Eventually, Voight messes up to the extent that his only way out of his financial rut is to re-enter the ring and fight again. Schroeder is ecstatic that his father is back to being "The Champ" until he sees the damage that boxing can do to a man who is already injured and past his prime. Voight, who had only two weeks to prep for his role, does an admirable job throughout, with only a few overstated moments that verge on the hammy side. He develops a wondrous camaraderie with newcomer Schroeder and they make an excellent team on screen. Schroeder provides one of the most remarkable child actor debuts ever here. He more than holds his own with his Oscar-winning co-stars and forges an unforgettable performance that is filled to the brim with emotion and charm. Dunaway doesn't fare as well. Burdened with some truly ugly Theoni V. Aldredge (her preferred costume designer of the time) clothing and headgear, she is swallowed up by her preposterous get-ups when she isn't overindicating the conflicted feelings of her character. She is also lit many times in such a way that it almost becomes comical. Her line delivery leans toward the heavily affected and she often seems beamed in from another film altogether as she wafts around in her own rarefied atmosphere and carefully constructed aura. What should have been a stirring, climactic scene between Voight and her in the stable instead loses steam because the camera lingers on her nearly immobile visage and it looks like a period piece because of her ridiculous scarf. Some very talented character actors pop up in (often underutilized) roles including Catlett, Cook, Warden, Hill (as Dunaway's caring husband) and the aforementioned Blondell. Director Zefferelli was an opera aficionado and it sometimes shows in the overstated emotions on display. Even so, the lush cinematography, the beautiful music and the committed acting of Voight and Schroeder manage to pull the viewer in and tug at the heartstrings. They have several heart-breaking scenes together that place this film on the lists of many filmgoers favorite weepies. Schroeder, who claims to have always had a deep emotional well within himself, drew upon the recent death of his grandmother in his scenes, but even today on the DVD commentary, he breaks into tears several times! He also recounts how Voight sort of mishandled him one day in a swimming pool and this led to an extra layer of emotional upset for him during filming. Either due to a long filming schedule or reshoots, Catlett's hair during the finale has about 3/4 inch of gray ingrowth which isn't there in her earlier scenes! It's a film that will greatly appeal to a certain faction of viewers and which will equally annoy the faction who cannot go along on the tear-filled ride.