The Great White Hype (1996)

Director:

Reginald Hudlin

Writers (WGA):

Tony Hendra (screenplay) and
Ron Shelton (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 May 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

If you can't find the perfect contender....make one.

Plot:

When the champ's promoter, Rev. Sultan, decides something new is needed to boost the marketability of the boxing matches...

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Corruption | Satire | Woman As Object | Boxer

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson	...	Rev. Fred Sultan
Jeff Goldblum	...	Mitchell Kane
Peter Berg	...	Terry Conklin
Corbin Bernsen	...	Peter Prince
Jon Lovitz	...	Sol
Cheech Marin	...	Julio Escobar
John Rhys-Davies	...	Johnny Windsor
Salli Richardson	...	Bambi
Jamie Foxx	...	Hassan El Ruk'n
Rocky Carroll	...	Artemus St. John Saint
Albert Hall	...	Roper's Manager
Susan Gibney	...	Vivian
Michael Jace	...	Marvin Shabazz
Duane Davis	...	Palace Guard #1
Lamont Johnson	...	Palace Guard #2

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #34402) | South Korea:15 | Iceland:L | Australia:MA | Denmark:16 | UK:15

Company:

Atman Entertainment

Trivia:

The Sultan (Samuel L. Jackson) greets a man with shoulder length black hair and a black suit with "Hey Vincent, Vincent, where's Jules man," a reference to Jackson's character in Pulp Fiction (1994).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Roper is watching the soap opera, and throws the ring away to watch his entourage chase it, it clearly falls out of the box as it skips on the floor. Yet, when Rollo puts it on, before Roper takes it, he takes it out of the box.

Quotes:

Sol: I can't make caviar out of fish eggs!

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Great White Hope (1970)

Soundtrack:

Bring The Pain

Vastly underrated, hilarious film

I'd never heard of this film when I saw it but I was tempted by the likes of Samuel L. Jackson. I was not disappointed.

I am not a fan of boxing and know nothing about the sport but this film is more about corruption in sport and grubby business dealings, and is simply set in the world of boxing. That said, the idea could not be successfully transposed to another arena thanks to the flamboyant and corrupt nature of the boxing world.

Samuel L. Jackson is deliciously over the top and excellent support from comedy stalwarts like Jeff Goldblum, Jon Lovitz, Damon Wayans, John Rhys Davies, and the increasingly famous Jamie Foxx make this a riotous comedy. This is one of the most quotable films I've ever come across and if you're a fan of comedy you won't regret watching this, even if you don't like it as much as I do.