The Champ

Plot synopsis:
Andy "Champ" Purcell (Wallace Beery) is the former world heavyweight champion, now down on his luck and living in squalid conditions with his eight-year-old son "Dink" in Tijuana, Mexico. Champ attempts to train and to convince promoters to set up a fight for him, but his efforts are consistently stymied by his alcoholism. Dink is repeatedly disappointed and let down by his father's irresponsible actions and frequent broken promises to quit drinking, but his utter devotion to his father nonetheless never wavers.
In addition to his drinking problem, Champ is also a compulsive gambler, another vice which he repeatedly promises Dink he will surrender (but never does). After a winning streak, he fulfills a previous promise to buy Dink a horse, whom they subsequently name "Little Champ" and decide to enter into a race. At the track, Dink happens across a woman who, unknown to either of them, is actually his mother Linda. She is now remarried to Tony, a wealthy man who owns one of the other horses in the race.
Linda and Tony observe Dink and Champ together and realize that Dink is her son. Champ allows Linda to see Dink, who accepts that she is his mother. But Dink feels no emotion toward her, as she has never been part of his life. Linda resolves to remove Dink from the negative atmosphere in which he's growing up and have him live with her family.
Catching Champ during an all-night gambling binge, Tony asks him to turn Dink over so that Tony and Linda can put Dink into school. Champ refuses. As the exhausted Dink sleeps on a nearby table, Tony bluntly observes that Champ is not a good father. The night of gambling ends with Champ having lost Little Champ, which devastates Dink. Champ asks Linda for enough money to buy the horse back, and she gives it to him. But before he can buy the horse back, he starts gambling again and loses the money Linda loaned him. He also winds up in jail, breaking Dink's heart once more.
Ashamed of his actions and with his spirit broken, Champ finally agrees to send an unwilling Dink to live with Tony and Linda. On the train ride home, Tony and Linda try their best to welcome Dink into their family. Dink does not dislike them, but he is consumed only by thoughts of his father. He runs away back to Tijuana, where he finds that Champ has a fight scheduled with the Mexican heavyweight champion. When he sees Dink, Champ immediately returns to good spirits. He trains hard for the fight and, for the first time, really does stay away from drinking and gambling. Champ is determined to win the fight, make Dink proud of him, and use his prize money to buy back Little Champ.
Tony and Linda attend the fight, bringing genuine best wishes and assurances that they will make no further efforts to separate Dink from Champ. The match is brutal, and Champ is seriously injured. Dink and the others in his corner urge him to throw in the towel, but Champ refuses to allow that. He musters a last burst of energy, and knocks out his opponent. After the fight, he triumphantly presents Little Champ to Dink. But after witnessing his son's overjoyed reaction, Champ collapses.
Champ is brought into his dressing room, where a doctor determines that his injuries are mortal. Champ urges Dink to cheer up and then dies, leaving Dink inconsolable. Despite the best efforts of all of the men and boys in the room, who one by one attempt to calm him, Dink continually wails, "I want the Champ!" Finally, Dink spots Linda enter the room. Dink looks at her, cries out, "Mother!" and runs into her arms. She picks him up and he sobs, "The Champ is dead, mama." She turns and carries him out of the room as he buries his face in her shoulder, crying.

Tags: tragedy

Review:
This is arguably Jon Voight's finest acting performance with the possible exception of The Odessa File.Jon Voight plays Billy Flynn an ex boxing champion with Ricky Shroder playing his eight year old son, T.J Flynn.
Billy Flynn is now a horse trainer bringing up his son after a divorce some seven years ago when T.J. was just a baby.
Billy loves a drink and is addicted to gambling and bringing up his son does have problems.The problems intensify when his ex-wife, now remarried, appears on the scene to see her son after seven long years.
As Billy gets further into trouble, his only way of securing a life for his son is to make one last come-back into the boxing ring.The film is very poignant, emotional and has so many sad sequences.
The Champ is a superb movie, a must see, and although over 20 years old, still has a place today.
I didn't know what I'd think since it's been so long, and was a bit surprised to find this film has lost nothing in the intervening years -- if anything, it views even better than it did when it was released.
I first watched this film in 1980 as a five year old with my gran and we managed to distort the credits through our tears and sobbing.
Last night, I watched the Champ with my girlfriend and I am happy to say that the years haven't mellowed me and we were both in floods of tears before I switched the film off.
It is the extremely emotional content and story, not the mere technicalities or flaws that makes this movie great.
I don't know who these movie critics are nor where they come from, but they certainly have much to learn from this film..
It's the story of the love between a boy and his father, and the boy trying to make it on his own when his mother and father can't.The movie starts out very big on horse-racing, showing how Jon Voight, "The Champ", is and gives brief glimpses into his past life.
Conflict between him and his wife rises and we see even deeper into what was a merely a shell of his life in the beginning of the film; he is complicated and emotionally bruised man, snapping sometimes at his son that he loves with all his heart.The film has the most believable performances I have ever seen on screen, and is a tearjerker.
The Champ is truly the quintessential example of the love between father and son, one which I can only hope to be able to show with my children..
The Champ is the most beautiful Father & Son story I have ever seen.
If you are not in tears at the end of this movie, go see the Wizard, cause you have no heart!Cute little Ricky Schroder acts his --- off in this drama, which is a tad overdone in spots, but it is so sad that if you are embarrassed to cry in front of other people, see it alone..
Once upon a time, when I was 10 years old, my father took me from playing with my friends to see this movie called "The Champ."  And now, I can't wait to share it with MY children.
Jon Voight plays the role of ex-Boxing champion Billy Flynn who attempts a comeback to help his son.
Ricky Schroder is the object of affection from his down-on-his-luck father, AND his rich mother (Faye Dunaway)who deserted him many years ago.
Young Ricky Schroder gives the performance of a lifetime and is backed up by the stellar work of Jon Voight and beautiful Faye Dunaway.Its a great at home date movie to watch with a new lady friend.
I believe that the main reason is that the champ is going against the rich world of famous (like Annie the T.J. mother) and promote the poor but rich heart of t.j. father : the champ gives his entire life to win and give all the money for a home and education to his children who grew from the fist days of life.
I always felt that Rick Schroeder did a great job in this film however the true acting chops were offered by Jon Voight.
If you don't have a tear in your eye when the movie ends, then your heart is made of stone!!!The story is real good, it proves that it isn't always the mother who has all the love for their children..
Jon Voight plays an ex-boxing champion raising his young boy (played by a stellar Ricky Schroder).
I find Faye Dunaway (who plays the boy's estranged mother) slightly annoying, but I forgive her because I love the film itself so much.
Voight plays Billy Flynn, a boxer who gets to meet his son T.J.(Rick Schroder, "Silver Spoons") this kid owned a fine horse, and he made sure that horse is taken care of.
I'm not real keen on Jon Voight or Faye Dunaway, but little Ricky absolutely MAKES this movie.
I am not ashamed to say that I cried for days and still do, whenever I put on my video of this mini-masterpiece.Jon Voigt, always worth double the price of admission is wonderful, but Ricky Schroder steals every scene in which he appears.
this remake of the 1931 film of the same name,is pretty darn impressive.just like the original film is all about the love a father has for his son,and the son has for his father.Jon Voigt plays the father,a washed up former champion boxer,now an alcoholic and gambler.he also happen to be a father to an eight year boy,played by Ricky Schroder.in the original film,nine year old Jackie Cooper played the son and stole the show.the same thing happens here.Eight year old Ricky Schroder owns the film.the only complaint i have about this film,and it's minor one,is that it's maybe a bit too long.other than,i prefer it to the original.the ending packs a real wallop.for me,The Champ is an 8/10.
Jon Voight plays Billy Flynn, a former champion boxer now given to drinking, gambling, and raising his son T.J.
The ups and downs of the devoted codependent pair might be enough movie on their own, but soon enough Annie (Faye Dunaway) shows up and displays a strangely protective interest in T.J. Though the plot jumps around too much to quite hold together, The Champ is certainly affecting, and all three leads take the film so earnestly that somehow it works.
Special DVD features include audio commentary from Jon Voight and Rick Schroder and the documentary Behind the Scenes with the Champ..
Great Ending But Needed More Leading Up to It. The Champ (1979)** (out of 4)Remake of the 1931 film that got star Wallace Beery his Oscar.
This time it's Jon Voight playing the washed up boxer taking care of his young son (Ricky Schroder) who decides to try and make a comeback so that he can do something good for the kid.
It's just too bad the rest of the film didn't live up to it and the countless manipulation scenes early on just don't work and they certainly miss the emotional connection that they try for..
Little Ricky Schroeder gives one of the best child performances of all time, going step for step with the great Jon Voight in the acting department.
I have not seen this film for many years , ive not seen the dvd anywhere since i last watched it on tv years ago, the movie is a cross between kramer vs kramer and rocky the acting in this is sensational to say the least especially from a young ricky schroder who is now nearly unheard of , despite schroders fledgling career he is the only actor who has genuinely made me cry his performance in the closing scene is heart wrenching its so realistic its nearly unbearable, i will look out for this film in the future and when i see it again the tears are very likely to fall again ..
Details are a little vague (I saw this back in 1979) but here's what I remember: Story about an ex-boxer (Jon Voight) who's bringing up his son (Ricky Schroder) alone when his wife (Fay Dunaway) left them.
Jon Voight and Faye Dunaway are good actors however they seem to have been miss casted and both don't seem to be happy in their role and Rick Schroder who is now better know for his role in "NYPD Blue" gives a good lesson in overacting.All in all, a drama not worth seeing.5/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
Jon Voight gives a brilliantly understated performance in the title role and is well supported by the always-brilliant Faye Dunaway, but the true star of this masterpiece is Ricky Schroeder in the Jackie Cooper role as the boy.
There are success stories ;"the champ " is a "failure" one.The first version was released at a time people were not smiling because of the world crisis.In 1979,after stuff like "Rocky" ,"the champ number two" was not a blockbuster.The problem is that Jon Voigt is much too good-looking ,too healthy ,too fit to portray a wreck successfully.Wallace Beery was the champ and it's him that will be remembered .On the other hand ,although a bit too clean and too cute ,the young Ricky Schroeder's performance compares favorably with that of Jackie Cooper.
The part of the mother was fleshed out ,because it was Oscar-winner Faye Dunaway who reprised Irene Rich's role.Franco Zephirelli was more talented when he filmed "Romeo and Juliet and his Jesus remains the best of the genre.Not as "swell" as the 1931 movie,but children fond of melodrama will like it..
she's a good person.¨ The Champ has divided audiences over the world; there are those who consider this to be a masterpiece and others who believe it's just a terrible movie that tries too hard to be a tearjerker.
It has it's touching moments with a good performance from Jon Voight as the lead actor.
His love and passion for his father, the champ, is hard to believe because he seems so selfish and cruel at times.The story takes place in Hialeah where Billy Flynn (Jon Voight), a former boxing champ now in his late thirty's, is working as a race horse trainer.
The only solution Billy can think of in order to give his son a better future is returning to what he does best: boxing.The Champ relies too heavily on the dramatic effect and that is what ends up hurting the movie because many scenes seem to fit the screenplay for the convenience of the movie and it just doesn't feel real.
Audiences that enjoy heartfelt films and tearjerkers will probably love this movie, but audiences who are searching for more character depth will probably be disappointed with it.
I had a hard time with the beginning of the film, and found the last half of the movie more entertaining, but it is far from being the masterpiece some people claim it to be.http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/.
A pointless remake of a has-been 1931 film of the same name, this one pummels its audience--employing filmic techniques developed since the original--in its comeback to try to inflict even more tears than its saccharine predecessor.The 1931 version is bad, but at least the camerawork allowed some distance for the actors to develop a decent father-son bond on screen before the hokey histrionics are punched up.
The ChampThe best thing about having your kid in your corner during a boxing match is that you can use them as a shield if your opponent is too strong.And while the father of the boy in this drama would never do anything that horrendous to his son, his mother sure would.Raised on the road by his father Billy (Jon Voight), a third-rate boxer, T.J.
I want to open this review by saying that "The Champ" holds a very special place in my heart, if only because it might be the first live-action movie I remember seeing as a (6-year old) kid, and for some strange reason, of all the scenes from the film, I was more impacted by the sight of blood, a disturbing novelty for my kiddies' eyes (the sparring partner, the horse's injury and the scary sight of Billy's opponent shouting at him).
The Youtube clips many years later finally had their effect, but even then I knew I had to experience the whole film to measure up the extent of its emotionality.So I did and I can't believe someone who despises the overuse of superlatives like me would indulge himself to such a clichéd statement but this is indeed the saddest movie ever, with the climactic locker-room scene as the most defining moment.
Adapted from a 1931 movie directed by King Vidor, "The Champ", is about a father-and-son relationship, an extraordinary sacred link between Billy Flynn (Jon Voight), an ex-Heavyweight Boxing Champion who reconverted in horse-training, and his 8-year old blond-haired angel-faced son: T.J.
I can recall considering my father a true model when I was a kid, I can easily respond to the sight of a kid who admires his father the way T.J. does, especially since this adoration is the build-up that cements the final scene's emotionality.A few words about Ricky Schroeder's performance: it's absolutely refreshing to see a child acting like a real one, not too mature or annoying, Ricky Shroeder delivers in "The Champ" one of the finest pieces of child acting ever, on the same vein than Jackie Coogan in "The Kid", any kids' performance pale in comparison to little Ricky that year and I can't believe his performance was overlooked by the Academy Awards (while he was awarded a Golden Globe for Best Male Newcomer).
The film takes then the emotional start with the most simple plot premise and it only avoid cliché's annoyances thanks to the beautiful performance of Ricky Schroeder.
Indeed, every single moment work and it almost seems like the adult actors did their best to match Ricky's incredible acting, and I believe that Jon Voight deserved more accolades for his performance.The film contains some of the most emotional moments you'll ever see, reaching a first pinnacle with three powerful scenes in a row: a heart-breaking father-and-son conversation in jail, T.J. learning that Annie is not a "little angel in the sky" and his outburst of enraged cries when she can't even say that she loves 'Champ', and then the reunion with Billy, hell even the happier moments are unbelievably sad, with little T.J. and his father swimming on the beach (mirroring a previous scene with Annie).
Franco Ziffereli's directing is relatively sober and the music not too over-emotional, so if anything is manipulative, then it has to be a little 8-year old actor's performance, would you believe he'd have this intention?
To conclude, I sincerely don't think any film would have as a powerful emotional impact as "The Champ"'s final scene.
The story is one that I'm sure many can relate with, whether you're a single parent, have a great relationship with your father or can simply appreciate a film with strong acting.
It follows the story of Billy Flynn (Jon Voight) , an ex-boxer who is struggling to make a life for himself and his young son (Ricky Schroder) .
Billy is very well played by Voight; he has just the right mix of tough guy and loving father.Faye Dunaway and Jack Warden both do a good job in their roles as well, but Ricky Schroder steals the show, in one of the finest performances from a child actor ever.
At least in the original film, when Dink saw his father die, he still had his friend, half-sibling, and mother.
It was as if his father was his only friend, and he's gone...Rick Schroeder puts on a superb performance in this movie.
if music in a film is a sign of manipulation of emotions, then I must be the biggest sap because certain scores like this one remain in the soul years after hearing it on screen.
Faye Dunaway was at the top of her game as one of the top five leading ladies in film, and if indeed she was "Mommie Dearest" just two years later, here, she's playing a mother who perhaps loves far too much.The shining light of this film is Ricky Schroder, a talented little kid if there ever was one, but upstaged that year at the Academy Awards by "Kramer vs Kramer's" Justin Henry.
After just recently viewing this 1979 film "The Champ", it has a little bit in common with three more contemporary films:-Million Dollar Baby (for the gritty, real-world perspective that director Franco Zeffirelli brings to the movie)-Rocky (for the underdog story)-Over The Top (for the father/son relationship and custody battle)For a basic plot summary, "The Champ" tells the story of Billy (Jon Voight) and his son TJ (Ricky Schroder).
When the boy's mother (Faye Dunaway) comes back into the picture, Billy (once a professional boxer) decides to step back into the ring again to try and make a few more big paydays to take care of his beloved boy.There are a few things that this film doesn't quite nail, but they are so far overshadowed by what it does right:-The acting is terrific.
Schroder turns in perhaps the greatest child-star performance of all-time, while Voight and Dunaway also turn in dramatic and emotional roles.-The direction of Zeffirelli is, much like a modern-day Clint Eastwood, very realistic and down- to-earth.
The Champ is a good film that it makes you cry (I guess everybody knows that by now) but really, the inconsolable T.J.
It stretches him between his bad habit and his responsibility as a father which later led him back into boxing to improve their life.I won't say much because you have to watch it in spite of the poor rating of this amazing film..