Eorge Foreman's life journey is certainly one that would entice any biopic filmmaker, and director George Tillman Jr. (who previously made Notorious) is a pretty good choice to assign that task. The screenplay (by Frank Baldwin and the director himself), however, does no favours. It hastily runs through various events in Foreman's life, without letting them register in our heads. Each scene plays out like a chapter in a book, but it only seeks to underline specific bullet points. For instance, Foreman getting stuck in a sewer is meant to showcase the difficulties he faced while growing up. There's another instance of kids mocking him at a school for having no lunch to eat. These scenes basically get the point across, but they fail to make us inherently feel the struggle.
When Foreman gets into boxing, which happens over yet another tick-the-list scene, he's immediately shown to win the Olympic gold medal. The conception of the scene and its outcomes have a "Wikipedia reading" feel to them. This is something that's applicable to the entire film. George's first wife enters and exits the picture in just ten minutes or so. And the whole retirement and finding God saga also lacks zest. It's not like they wanted this to be considered full-fledged Christian propaganda, so even this part of Foreman's life is something the writers simply rush through. Financial struggles bring him back to the boxing ring, only for him to complete his intriguing arc. This story could've benefited from some real dramatic heft, as opposed to just conveying the message. Khris Davis' physical transformation is incredible to see, even when the writers don't give him solidly affecting material to work with.
When Foreman gets into boxing, which happens over yet another tick-the-list scene, he's immediately shown to win the Olympic gold medal. The conception of the scene and its outcomes have a "Wikipedia reading" feel to them. This is something that's applicable to the entire film. George's first wife enters and exits the picture in just ten minutes or so. And the whole retirement and finding God saga also lacks zest. It's not like they wanted this to be considered full-fledged Christian propaganda, so even this part of Foreman's life is something the writers simply rush through. Financial struggles bring him back to the boxing ring, only for him to complete his intriguing arc. This story could've benefited from some real dramatic heft, as opposed to just conveying the message. Khris Davis' physical transformation is incredible to see, even when the writers don't give him solidly affecting material to work with.