Synopsis
Billy used to be a great boxer, but he's settled into a hardscrabble life that revolves around drinking, training horses, and the one bright spot in his existence — his young son, T.J. Although Billy has had custody of T.J. since his wife, Annie, left the family years ago, her return prompts a new struggle for the former fighter. Determined to hold on to his son, Billy gets back into the ring to try and recapture his past success.
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Cast
- Jon VoightBilly
- Faye DunawayAnnie
- Ricky SchroderT.J.
- Jack WardenJackie
- Arthur HillMike
- Strother MartinRiley
- Joan BlondellDolly Kenyon
- Mary Jo CatlettJosie
- Elisha Cook Jr.Georgie
- Stefan GieraschCharlie Goodman
Recommendations
- 60
Variety
Even those unfamiliar with the 1931 pic will feel resonances in the current Champ and in this edition Schroder projects a comparable emotional range and depth. - 60
Variety
Even those unfamiliar with the 1931 pic will feel resonances in the current Champ and in this edition Schroder projects a comparable emotional range and depth. - 50
TV Guide Magazine
An updated version of the more gritty original, given an inappropriately lush look by director Zeffirelli. - 50
Washington Post
Unfortunately, The Champ does not let well enough alone. It slogs on for about two reels too many, concluding on a note of utterly contrived tragedy that should make just about everyone feel wretchedly deceived. [04 Apr 1979, p.B1] - 50
TV Guide Magazine
An updated version of the more gritty original, given an inappropriately lush look by director Zeffirelli. - 50
Washington Post
Unfortunately, The Champ does not let well enough alone. It slogs on for about two reels too many, concluding on a note of utterly contrived tragedy that should make just about everyone feel wretchedly deceived. [04 Apr 1979, p.B1] - 40
Chicago Reader
The tear-jerking is so determined and persistent that your ducts feel as if they'd been worked over with a catheter. But despite its great length, the film never makes sense of its central relationship, between Jon Voight's washed-up prizefighter and Faye Dunaway's chichi fashion designer. - 40
The New York Times
The most offputting thing about such canny, tear-stained movies as The Champ is not their naïveté but their unholy sophistication. These movies don't mean to deal with the world as it really is, but as it should be, a place where there's no pile-up of emotional garbage too big that it can't be washed clean by a good cry.
