The Champ (1979)

The Champ (1979)

• This was a somewhat corny yet serious movie, and decently entertaining. It has the classic late 70’s/early 80’s vibe to it, which makes it almost laughable at some points. However, the plot is good and definitely takes some turns that punch you in the gut, as well as make you happy. Now, the movie did kind of feel like a knock-off of Rocky, in terms of a retired athlete trying to make a comeback while dealing with life decisions. The story also felt like it didn’t have much structure at all, which made it kind of hard to sit through. But, it was still decent. The story was touching, yet still provided some laughter and fun. Ricky Schroder as TJ was absolutely phenomenal, and it’s one of the best child performances I’ve ever seen. He was able to show his raw emotion in so many great ways, especially in the ending scene. In fact, he literally made me cry. It was one of the saddest movie scenes I’ve ever experienced, and he really made it what it was. I also liked Jon Voight. He always does a good job, and I liked watching his character go back and forth from good dad to careless man. The music was decent, and keeps the cheesy 70’s feel that the rest of the movie has. The boxing scenes were also kinda cheesy, but still entertaining. Overall, I know I won’t watch it again, but I’d recommend it if you love cheesy sports dramas.