RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Against the Ropes
Against the Ropes

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Against the Ropes (2003)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
13 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:128

Fresh:16

Rotten:112

Average Rating:4.2/10

Consensus: A bland, dumbed-down package of sports cliches.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for crude language, violence, brief sensuality and some drug material

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Feb 20, 2004 Wide

Box Office: $5,696,752

Synopsis: Meg Ryan stars in this fictionalized account of real-life boxing manager Jackie Kallen, the first female to ever make a name for herself in the sport. As the film begins she's just an assistant to... Meg Ryan stars in this fictionalized account of real-life boxing manager Jackie Kallen, the first female to ever make a name for herself in the sport. As the film begins she's just an assistant to the owner of a sleazy sporting arena, but her antagonism toward a mafia-affiliated boxing bigwig (Tony Shalhoub) and her hunch about the innate boxing talent of a young street thug named Luther (Omar Epps) lead her to take up managing. She recruits a retired trainer (Charles S. Dutton, who also directed) to mold Luther into a champ, and starts pushing and climbing through the sport's rampant sexism. The script by Cheryl Edwards is packed with platitudes and great throwaway lines, and to its credit the film doesn't shy away from showing Kallen's less flattering angles. Ryan looks and sounds great, sporting a fun Midwestern accent and a series of sexy outfits as she sashays through the cigar smoke and testosterone, tough-talking her way to victory in argument after argument. Though set in the present, AGAINST THE ROPES has a grungy 1970s feel to it, recalling ROCKY, THE CHAMP, THE MAIN EVENT and other films of the era. The real-life Kallen served as an associate producer. [More]

Starring: Meg Ryan, Omar Epps, Tony Shalhoub, Tim Daly

Starring: Meg Ryan, Omar Epps, Tony Shalhoub, Tim Daly, Kerry Washington, Joe Cortese, Charles S. Dutton

Director: Charles S. Dutton

Director: Charles S. Dutton
Screenwriter: Cheryl Edwards
Producer: Robert W. Cort, David Madden
Composer: Michael Kamen
Studio: Paramount Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Against the Ropes - Clip
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Jul 13, 2004

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Against the Ropes

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

An inoffensively average, formulaic entertainment with a marketing-problematic point of view.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
12/28/08
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

It's hard to expect anyone to infuse much passion into a "by-the-numbers" boxing movie which telegraphs every punch.

Full Review Source: Princeton Town Topics | comment Comment
04/25/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Princeton Town Topics

Against the Ropes may not deliver a knock-out, but it does land some pretty good blows.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/01/06
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Zertinet Movies | comment Comment
03/15/06
Steven Snyder
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
04/02/05
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
10/07/04
Tony Medley
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (Australia) | comment Comment
08/16/04
Sunday Times (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's one thing to make a predictable Hollywood movie. It's another thing to make a predictable Hollywood movie based on a fascinating life.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
06/04/04
Forrest Hartman
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

What could have been a gripping tale becomes hammy and overdone.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
05/14/04
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Meg Ryan is busily torpedoing any respect she might have accrued

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
05/13/04
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]

This movie lacks any complexity. Dutton opts instead to embellish the story with boxing clichés.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
05/11/04
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC

Ryan's Kallen is painfully two-dimensional.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
04/09/04
Edith Alderette
Edith Alderette
San Francisco Examiner

Mediocre, cliché-ridden but passable entertainment that completely falls apart in the third act.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
04/07/04
Jeff Otto
Jeff Otto
IGN Movies
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
04/03/04
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
03/27/04
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Complicated by the ways that race, masculinity, and media shape expectations and possibilities in the boxing world.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
03/23/04
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/16/04
Marrit Ingman
Marrit Ingman
Austin Chronicle
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
95% 95% Star Trek
67% 67% Bruno
47% 47% My Sister's Keeper
66% 66% Is Anybody There?
82% 82% Thirst

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Avatar

Avatar

Watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes video!

Friday Harvest

Friday Harvest

This week's best pics, posters, and videos!

RT's Gift Guide

RT's Gift Guide

Give the best movies, gear, and more!

What to Watch?

What to Watch?

Read our Holiday Movie Preview!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
32
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
110
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
60
  • Forbes Names Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors Source: Forbes
20
  • Chris Weitz Says He's (Almost) Done with Directing Source: Film School Rejects
26
  • Spider-Man 4 Casting Rumors Multiply Like Rabbits Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
51
  • McTeigue Says Superman Is "In a Weird Place" Source: MTV
204
  • Rachel McAdams Debunks Spider-Man 4 Rumor Source: Entertainment Weekly
117
  • Avatar: Gambling on Film's Future Source: Los Angeles Times
128
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
105
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Twilight's New Moon Dazzle?
96
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: 2012 Destroys the Competition
85
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
58
  • Five Favorite Films with Werner Herzog
49
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Star Trek, Bruno, and Cheaper Sopranos
32
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
23
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
19
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
16
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
7
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
7
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
19
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
6
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
16
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
  • Emma Stone talks Zombieland - RT Interview
41
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Against the Ropes at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Against the Ropes at IGN
  • Against the Ropes at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Star Trek DVD Exclusive
Star Trek DVD Exclusive External Link

TECHLAND gives us a first look at the extras, including Leonard Nimoy's last day on set!

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

New Moon Portraits
New Moon Portraits External Link

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

Unsexiest Men Alive
Unsexiest Men Alive External Link

Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.