Waited a long time...for nothing

Rating: 3/10 (12 December 2009)

I put off seeing this film for a long time, and finally watched it 12/12/09 to see what the Oscar hype was about Will Smiths' performance before he became and A-listed, self assuming smug actor. This film is a complete mess from top to bottom, start to finish. I recognize Smith had a daunting task to portray one of the 20th century's most outspoken and beloved characters, along with mimicking Ali's boxing style. This role must have taken much studying and preparation both physically and mentally. But this is where my appreciation begins and ends. I ask how is it possible to take one of modern history's most flamboyant athlete and morph him into a boring, unfocused, character? Unfortunately, Will Smith found a way.
I'm not sure if I was supposed to be viewing a docudrama or flat out drama as the story telling and directing were never focused. The story and pace endlessly meander in different directions without resolve. I never got any sense of who Ali was or what he really felt as the character development and script were vague at best. As a mater of fact, I sort of left the film liking Muhamad less. The film has no climax at all with no sense of triumph throughout. The script was boring, and the boxing scenes were poorly shot and edited. The music didn't help either as it was a total snooze-fest with poor song choices and uninspired underscore which added no "punch" or dramatic support to propel the plodding visual pace. The other characters were paper thin cartoon types- especially those of Don KIng and Drew Brown.
Even the closing comments at the films' end was vague citing his marriage failures. Who cares? Not me and certainly not about this waste of a film that does not due any type of justice to Ali. If you want to see a good boxing movie- see Cinderella Man, Raging Bull or Killer's Kiss. If you want to see a good character portrayal based on an actual person, see Patton, My Left Foot, or Queen Elizabeth. This film missed on both affronts.