For those days when a little inspiration is all you need!

Rating: 7/10 (4 November 2012)

I am going to whisper a little secret that could destroy my cred on IMDb. Promise not to tell? Okay, here it is: I don't like Rocky all that much. There, I said it. Skewer my review with negative votes later, after you've heard me out.
Not being the usual target audience for standard boxing films, it therefore came as a surprise to me that I liked HCTB as much as I did. Kevin James was previously unknown to me (I never saw even one episode of King of Queens), and the Fonz used to irritate me back in the day when Happy Days was on the air. So in short, I have no idea why I wanted to see this movie in the first place, but I'm glad that I did.
Here are my three theories why I could get past myself to buy into this story:
1. Kevin James turned out to be a smart writer, a sympathetic actor, and really very funny; 2. Henry Winkler as it happens, has an impressive acting range -- and he's also really funny; 3. Bas Rutten -- downright hilarious! Who knew?
These three unlikely heroes transformed the familiar Boxing Movie Formula into something with tremendous heart. (You know the formula: underdog aspires to be a great fighter, overcomes huge odds, eventually makes it into the ring to face his arch nemesis).What made middle-aged Kevin James aka Scott Voss believable as the disillusioned high school teacher turned pro MMA fighter, is a combination of the film's unflinching look at how brutally he was defeated time and again, but also a kind of optimism that sneaks up on you--yes he's old and out of shape at the start, but he learns a lot along the journey, and he has a growing passion for his righteous cause. You will be rooting for him and his cohorts in no time.
So don't pay attention to that little voice inside that says you're not the type to see this film, or to the film critics that can't get over themselves because this movie isn't complicated enough or depressing enough to be winning any Oscars: HCTB is inspiring enough, and that's the hallmark of a winner to my way of thinking.