Prize fighter movies8/20/2023 The next day, as Lola gives Meryl more attendance records, she is informed that because of her good deeds from the day before, she now in the running for the Minnie McFiggle Award, and she might win it, much to Lola's glee.Īt the mall, as Lola shops for a new dress for when she receives the award tomorrow night, she notices two pageant girls conversing with each other. Grouse across the street (after shoving him to drop his groceries) in front of Cheryl, picking up garbage at Tall Timbers Park (after deliberately placing it on the ground) in front of Dana, and pretending to be a candy striper at Sunset Canyon in front of Howard, who is a candy striper himself. However, Lola does her good deeds extremely half-heartedly and only shows effort whenever she grabs any of the judges' attention. Once Meryl is dropped off at the middle school, Lola declares that she will win the award.īefore long, Lola attempts to appease Cheryl, Dana and Howard by trying to do good deeds around them so they can consider her a candidate for the Minnie McFiggle. She is also told the other two judges that are working alongside Cheryl are Dana Dufresne and Howard McBride. Excited about this award, Lola, while driving Meryl to the middle school, asks for more information about the award, where she is told that the award not only goes to the person who has won numerous accomplishments in pageants, but also for their contributions to the community. Meryl explains that Cheryl is busy with two other judges in finding a recipient worthy enough to win the Minnie McFiggle Award, a lifetime achievement award in pageantry. However, Lola discovers that Meryl is subbing in for Cheryl. Most recently seen in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, Csokas has a riot as this arrogant, ego-driven former naval officer who takes Belcher under his wing.Lola worries she’s already a washed-up pageant star when she wins a lifetime achievement award.Īt the elementary school, Lola is delivering attendance reports to Cheryl. Hookings, whose own father is British heavyweight boxer David ‘Bomber’ Pearce, clearly knows his way around the ring, and is convincing as the provincial scrapper who discovers, at his cost, that “London’s a big fairground.” Some of the best scenes are between Belcher and Lord Rushworth (Marton Csokas). ‘Prizefighter’ hits Prime Video on July 22. Yet be it Crowe as heavyweight champ Jim Braddock in Cinderella Man, or Winstone featuring in Jawbone, alongside Johnny Harris’ punch-drunk fighter, both have been in superior boxing movies in the past. Crowe has an infectious glint in his eye while Winstone’s gruff persona fits this sweat-stained world well. There’s even the obligatory training montage, as Winstone’s Warr yells “now fuckin’ ’it it!” as he gets his flabby prizefighter back into shape for “the fight of the century” against champion Henry Pearce (Ricky Chaplin).Īdmittedly, the star presence of Crowe and Winstone elevates Graham’s film beyond the bargain bucket. Injury and jail are followed by the cliché comeback. CREDIT: Signature Entertainmentįaster than an uppercut to the chin, Belcher’s triumphs turn to disaster, although anyone hoping for a Raging Bull-style emotional arc will be sorely disappointed. Ray Winstone takes Matt Hookings’ young boxer under his wing. Before long, Belcher is beating men for fun (as the end credits explain, he was the youngest ever boxing champion in England) and becomes the toast of high society. There, he catches the eye of Bill Warr (Ray Winstone), a seen-it-all trainer who helps refine his style in the ring. Paid a pittance, he soon finds extra coins by fighting in brutish tournaments. Ten years on, Belcher (Matt Hookings, who also scripted the film) is now a trainee blacksmith. Jack’s daughter Mary (Jodhi May) is aghast, desperate that her boy doesn’t follow her father’s debauched path. The story proper begins in Bristol in 1789, when hard-drinking, debt-ridden, womanising bare-knuckle boxer Jack Slack (Russell Crowe) tutors his grandson Jem in the not-so-noble art of bashing seven shades out of an opponent. An earnest period drama about the life and times of real-life pugilist Jem Belcher, its director Daniel Graham doesn’t shy away from scenes of men relentlessly slugging it out. There are moments – and plenty of them – when Prizefighter feels just like this. Fans of the BBC’s ’90s sketch comedy The Fast Show might recall Paul Whitehouse in a one-off skit called ‘ The Long Big Punch Up‘, an action movie parody featuring two characters endlessly trading blows.
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