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"THE GREAT WHITE HYPE"
(1996) (Samuel Jackson, Damon Wayans) (R)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Moderate Minor Heavy None Moderate
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Minor None None *Minor Extreme
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Moderate Heavy None Minor Heavy


QUICK TAKE:
Sports Comedy: A boxing promoter, sensing a decline in revenues, decides he needs a white contender to challenge the heavyweight champion and bolster his box office.
PLOT:
Reverend Sultan (SAMUEL L. JACKSON) is the hustling promoter for the heavyweight champion of the world, James Roper (DAMON WAYANS). Feeling the economic pinch of declining revenues, Sultan decides that he needs a white contender to boost interest in his sport. His staff finds punk rocker Terry Conklin (PETER BERG), a former amateur boxer who happens to be the only fighter ever to beat the champ. Added to the mix is Mitchell Kane (JEFF GOLDBLUM), a boxing reporter -- turned Sultan aide who takes a growing interest in the new contender and the number one contender and his team who feel cheated about losing their chance to figth the champ. The hype grows during the movie as the inevitable big fight nears.
WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're drawn to boxing films. Daman Wayans and Samuel Jackson are the only other draws in this film.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For language and brief sexuality.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • SAMUEL L. JACKSON plays a hustling boxing promoter who'll con anyone to better his personal situation.
  • DAMON WAYANS plays the heavyweight champ with a lazy and bad attitude toward his profession.
  • PETER BERG plays the the challenger, a dim-witted but generous punk rocker turned boxer.
  • JEFF GOLDBLUM plays a tabloid reporter who sells out to make money.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • People drink during a celebration party.
  • People are drinking after a punk rock performance.
  • People are drinking during a party after the last fight.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • A fighter (with blood running from his face) takes a beating to the head and falls to the mat.
  • The other fight scenes contain some bloody noses and lips.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • Other than one female aide (who still gets called "bitch"), all of the women in the film are treated as sexual fodder or eye candy.
  • The champ has a bad attitude toward his sport -- he's lazy and doesn't train and then uses a racially motivated tape to psych himself into a fighting rage.
  • The number one contender and his manager get fed up waiting for a match and resort to threats and violence (twice using guns) to prove their point.
  • Phrase: "N*gger" said by black people to other black people.
  • Sultan is a hustler and tries to renege on his contract with the champ.
  • A woman gives a man "the finger."
  • The champ says his "blackness" will defeat Conklin.
  • The champ tells a preacher who's giving a prayer to him, "N*gger, grow up."
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • None.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Guns: Used by number one contender's entourage to threaten champs' party. Champs' bodyguards pull out their laser sighted guns and train the lasers on the throats of the invaders and the crotch of the contender's manager. No shots are fired.
  • Huge sword: Used by Sultan to mockingly threaten one of his aides.
  • Gun: Sultan pulls out a handgun and points it at Kane like he's going to shoot him. Kane turns and thinks it's real, but it's a cigarette lighter.
  • Gun: The number one contender's manager pulls out a huge handgun and threatens everyone in the boxing ring. The champ grabs him and the gun goes off into the air.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • A woman gives a man "the finger."
  • Phrases: "N*gger," "bitch," and "shut up."
  • The champ smokes a lot and is lazy during his training.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • None.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • There are three songs (one a puck rock, the other two rap) that may contain objectionable lyrics, but the sound mix and/or sound system in the theater prevented a clear understanding of the lyrics. It sounded like use of the "s" word in the punk and rap songs, and the phrase, "Shoot ‘em up" said repeatedly in one of the rap songs.
  • PROFANITY
  • (There could be many more of the words listed below but the sound mix was poor and often the words were muttered so as to be unintelligible.)
  • 47 "f" words, 22 "s" words, 16 asses, 2 slang terms for female genitals (the "p" word said in derogatory fashion) and 1 slang term for male genitals (the "d" word).
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • A female aide to Sultan wears very tight fitting clothing that often reveals much cleavage.
  • Women are brought in for a punk rocker to pick from for sex. He picks one and begins french kissing her, she eventually moves down his body and performs oral sex on him (not seen but implied by his reaction).
  • Sultan looks at 8x10 photos of himself and other women in bed (no nudity) with one showing what appears to be oral sex.
  • The champ says "I could beat Conklin and my meat at the same time."
  • In a promotional commercial for the fight, the champ grabs his crotch and says "Oh, there it is."
  • A bunch of women in skimpy bikinis are brought in to pose with Conklin for a Playboy cover.
  • Conklin's trainer talks about being "turked" ("rectally seized") a slang reference not to gay sex but to get your butt kicked.
  • Women are used again as "eye candy" for fighters.
  • The champ watches a videotape of "Dolemite" an action hero who in one scene is in bed with a scantily clad woman.
  • SMOKING
  • Sultan smokes cigars throughout the movie.
  • Reporters smoke cigars during press conferences.
  • People are smoking backstage after the punk rock performance.
  • Later in the movie as the fight nears, the champ smokes a lot of cigarettes.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • None.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Racism.
  • Whether boxing should be considered a sport or just a violent act.
  • VIOLENCE
  • Since this is a boxing movie, there are many scenes of fighters throwing punches to the head and body of opponents. Whether you view this as sport or violence is up to you.
  • A pair of mating scorpions is run over by a car on a desert road (some weird symbolism).
  • A threat: "I'll sink my d*ck so far up your f*cking ass..."
  • Veiled threats and yelling between the champs' party and contender's party.
  • The champ punches one of his associates in the chest, knocking him to the floor.
  • The number one contender's group burst into the champ's house and threaten them with guns. The champ's bodyguards pull out their laser sighted guns and train the laser on the throats of the invaders and the crotch of the contender's manager. No shots are fired.
  • Conklin punches and knocks out the bothersome number one contender at a press conference that has been interrupted.
  • Sultan pulls out a handgun and points it at Kane like he's going to shoot him, Kane turns and thinks it's real, but it's a cigarette lighter.
  • Champ watches a videotape of "Dolemite" an action hero who uses martial arts to fight off several men.
  • Champ fights with men dressed as leprechauns as he enters the ring.
  • The number one contender's manager pulls out a huge handgun and threatens everyone in the boxing ring. The champ grabs him and the gun goes off into the air.



  • Reviewed May 3, 1996

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