A drama inspired by the life of heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner, who had a once-in-a-lifetime bout with Muhammad Ali that would inspire the film Rocky (1976).
A worthy attempt to tell the story of the story that inspired the story that was Rocky. Where Rocky was about hope and triumph, this is a cautionary tale against blind ambition. Kind of the antithesis to Rocky if you like.
What Rocky was based on was Wepner's supposed 'knock-down' of Ali in March '75. A million to one shot who almost went the distance. Yet if you watch the actual footage of the Wepner/Ali fight you'll see it really wasn't a knock-down as Wepner had stepped on Ali's foot making him lose his balance and fall.
As a result Wepner still becomes a minor celebrity in his own right yet takes a wrong turn as he neglects his family, indulges in sex and drugs and the party lifestyle all the whilst deluding himself he's some big shot.
There is fun to be had with this and it really gets fun when Stallone enters the picture, played by Morgan Spector; and Lieb Schreiver puts in a quality stand out performance as does Naomi Watts and the supporting cast. This is a decent movie and is An Enjoyable way to pass the time.