40
Think of Against the Ropes as a "Rocky" story -- if, that is, the vintage is somewhere between "Rocky IV" and "V," and the action centered around the Burgess Meredith character as played by Meg Ryan wearing "Barbarella" outfits.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
30
Ryan never quite convinces us she's seen the inside of a fight gym, much less that she's worthy to be Rocky in a miniskirt. On the other hand, her director here was not Campion but actor Charles S. Dutton, whose behind-the-camera skills, developed via cable TV, tend toward the cartoonish.
25
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
Like the recent "Mona Lisa Smile," this tale could have been an effective feminist fable if it weren't so calculated.
63
ReelViews by James Berardinelli
It succeeds in many of the ways a sports movie should, and, by employing a slightly different viewpoint for most of the production, manages a sense of freshness.
50
Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum
I'm far from being a fan of the sport, but the boxing sequences held me and the overall atmosphere appears reasonably authentic.
40
TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh
Even by the standards of pop-moral parables passing for entertainment, this is bland stuff.
40
The Hollywood Reporter by Michael Rechtshaffen
Ryan and the rest of the cast are forced to slug it out with the kind of trite dialogue that seems to have been lifted straight off of those corporate inspirational posters.
38
Chicago Tribune by Michael Wilmington
It's a real shame that most new boxing movies try to copy the crowd-pleasing, sentiment-choked tactics of "Rocky" rather than the stark drama of "Raging Bull" or the realistic grit of "On the Waterfront" and "The Harder They Fall." Against the Ropes is only the latest sorry example. The sad thing is that, with this real-life story and subject, it could have been a contender.
33
Entertainment Weekly by Scott Brown
For all I know, Ryan's performance could be a dead-on Kallen impression. But what she appears to be doing is an impression of Johnny Depp doing an impression of Keith Richards doing an impression of Liz Taylor.
40
Right up to the ludicrous finale and an even more improbable denouement, everything rings Hollywood-false. More galling still, the filmmakers' inventions take the zing out of the facts.