On C List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
The Champ (1979)
Rate:
3
Viewed:
7/16
7/16:
The Champ is one part Jon Voight and 99 parts crybaby Ricky Schroder.
The story is as hokey as it gets. Billy Flynn decides to get into the ring, so he can have one last shot at a big payoff.
Given the sight of the fight match, exactly how much money are we talking about here...$500?
Why not Billy get a regular job instead and preserve his brain? And of course, Billy was going to die in the ring because
he hardly trained for boxing after being away for seven years. The kid is definitely responsible for his father's death by
the way he kept calling him "champ." I bet that the more often Billy heard it, the more he felt pressured to get back to
the ring to prove himself once again. What a stroke for his ego. How about calling the old man "dad" for a change, huh kid?
Ricky Schroder is by far the worst part. All he does is cry, cry, and cry. Buckets of tears will flow out of his eye sockets
like the Mississippi River. Apart from the overused acting technique, Ricky Schroder is dependent on his cuteness,
which is equipped with Aryan blond hair and blue eyes, to make up for his nonexistent thespic abilities.
Who cares about Billy Flynn's death? His ex-wife must have felt ecstatic after realizing that she'll have the pretty son all to
herself for the rest of her life. Hypothetically speaking, if the kid was either average-looking or downright ugly, would she
have taken interest in him? I have to say no. See, being cute played a huge part in her decision.
All in all, The Champ is about how a little kid got his daddy killed for nothing.