Last year, two boxing movies duked it out on the festival circuit: “Bleed Like This” starring Miles Teller, which also opened in the fall, and “The Bleeder,” led by Liev Schreiber. Now, perhaps as a bid to extinguish any confusion, the latter has been blandly retitled “Chuck,” as it gears up to hit theaters.
Co-starring Elisabeth Moss, Ron Perlman, Naomi Watts, Jim Gaffigan, Michael Rapaport, and Pooch Hall, and directed by Philippe Falardeau (“Monsieur Lazhar“), the film tells the true story of journeyman boxer Chuck Wepner, who suddenly found himself in sport’s biggest spotlight. Here’s the official synopsis:
He was the pride of Bayonne, New Jersey, a man who went fifteen rounds in the ring with Muhammad Ali, and the real life inspiration for Rocky Balboa. But before all that, Chuck Wepner (Liev Schreiber) was a liquor salesman and father with a modest prizefighting career whose life changed overnight when, in 1975, he was chosen to take on The Greatest in a highly publicized title match. It’s the beginning of a wild ride through the exhilarating highs and humbling lows of sudden fame—but what happens when your fifteen minutes in the spotlight are up? Driven by a committed performance from Liev Schreiber, Chuck is a refreshingly human tale of resilience and redemption.
“Chuck” opens on May 5th.