Play It to the Bone (1999) User Reviews

Disappointing effort from master of sports movies

[SKG-2 · 6/10 · 27 January 2000]

The story goes that Ron Shelton wanted to make a biopic of Bob Marley, but the financing fell through, and in a few weeks time, he wrote this boxing film. "That's okay," you think. "This is Ron Shelton. Sure, he co-wrote THE GREAT WHITE HYPE, which was disappointing, but he didn't direct that one. He did write and direct BULL DURHAM, WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP, COBB, and TIN CUP(well, he co-wrote the last one, but let's not split hairs), all great sports movies, so he could probably do a boxing movie in his sleep." Well, unfortunately, that's what he seems to have done in this disappointing movie.

Shelton was reportedly inspired by a true-life fight where the preliminary match also turned out to be much more compelling than the featured attraction, which would seem tailor-made for him. And like the other Shelton heroes, the characters of Vince(Harrelson) and Cesar(Banderas) aren't among the great ones, though they've flirted with greatness. Finally, certainly the idea is right in place, that the point is not who of these best friends wins the fight(without revealing the ending, I will say it's not only logical, but feels right), but the fact they each got this last shot and put on a good show. The problem, until the fight scenes, is the execution.

Shelton usually has a gift for dialogue and character, especially when romantic comedy is concerned, but he seems to have mislaid it here. Vince and Cesar are pretty much ciphers from the beginning, despite the obvious chemistry Harrelson and Banderas have between them. There are traits which are mildly funny(like the fact that a boxer would watch soaps), but nothing that adds up. Even the fact that Vince is a "Jesus" freak seems incoherent rather than part of the character. And the dialogue between them, except in the scenes when they're talking at the same time, seems lame, relying on easy homophobia and vulgarity rather than being funny(compare that to the clever trash talk in WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP). And even when Davidovich enters the picture, though she gamely tries, she's got nothing to work with, and seems oddly mismatched with Banderas. Harrelson at least she seems comfortable with, but they don't have enough scenes together.

The fight scenes are where Shelton finally comes alive. The behind-the-scenes details of how the fight gets into place and such are familiar, but well-handled. And the fight is compelling to us, so it's believable that the rest of the arena would find it so as well. We see the fighters being given advice, but since they think they know each other, they sometimes ignore it to do their own thing. And you really believe at the end they're both fighting on pure adrenaline. Even Davidovich becomes believable here as she realizes she loves both of them, and while she understands they need this, can't bear to watch them hurt each other. Yet even here, Shelton messes up. There are too many T&A shots, which are supposed to reflect how the fighters' minds are fogged up, but are more likely there to get people to hoot. Ultimately, I hope this is a blip on Shelton's career, rather than a sign he's losing it.

Good boxing, weak characters

[FlickJunkie-2 · 6/10 · 20 June 2000]

‘Play It To The Bone' is really two movies. One is a movie about boxing and the other is a comedic character study of the boxers. As a boxing film it succeeds nicely. As a comedy it has its moments. As a character study it hits the canvas hard.

The storyline was sort of ‘Rocky' times two. Two washed up middleweight boxers Vince and Cesar (Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas), who are also best friends, get a last minute chance to fight in Las Vegas on the undercard of a Mike Tyson heavyweight bout when the two scheduled fighters are unable to fight. They are promised that the winner will get a chance to fight for the championship, but they have to be in Las Vegas tonight. The trouble is, they have to fight each other.

So they climb into a car with Cesar's girlfriend (and Vince's ex-girlfriend) Grace (Lolita Davidovich) and drive from L.A. to Las Vegas. Most of the rest of the movie is about the drive followed by the fight.

Director Ron Shelton has had quite a few sports oriented success stories to his credit (Bull Durham, White Men Can't Jump and Tin Cup). The best part of the film was the boxing. The boxing was well choreographed and both actors were athletic and fought like real boxers. Shelton was also excellent at creating the feel of a boxing match. Anyone who has ever watched an HBO bout will recognize ring announcers Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and George Foreman. Mike Tyson made a cameo as well as numerous celebrity boxing fans (Kevin Costner, Rod Stewart, Wesley Snipes and a host of others). The makeup for the cuts and puffiness was also very realistic.

Unfortunately, the rest of the film was not as good as the fight. Shelton spends a good deal of time developing the characters, but it is all for naught because they have no substance. They are two hapless jocks, obvious mental lightweights, who spend most of the trip to Las Vegas fighting over Grace, cutting up and strutting around like peacocks. Shelton takes great pains to try to make us love these characters equally by making them equally pathetic. But that doesn't work because it leaves the audience without anyone to pull for in the fight. The ending is utterly predictable and the film whimpers off into the sunset with no more than a stagger.

Banderas and Harrelson both gave journeyman performances. They had good chemistry and some decent comedy between them, but there was nothing special here. The best performance by far was by Davidovich who transcended her normal sex kitten role and took command of the entire film with a character that was a flaming bitch on wheels. She was smart, tough sexy and manipulative and dominated every scene. Once again she shows that she is talented as well as attractive, which makes me wonder why she has never gotten more substantial roles.

This is a tough one to rate because it does some things very well and other things poorly. I gave it a 6/10. It had some good comedic moments, but not enough of them. It had some excellent boxing scenes, but a disappointing outcome. And the character study simply failed due to vacant characters. If you like boxing, Harrelson, Banderas or especially Davidovich, you will enjoy this film. Otherwise, enter at your own risk.

Slightly higher than mediocre

[boondocksaint20 · 6/10 · 6 October 2002]

All in all, this is an okay film. The plot is very simple, and the characters are fairly interesting. I understand that this movie is supposed to be about second chances, but I couldn't help but think after the movie's very predictable ending, what the hell was the point of the movie? What was the epiphany reached, and what was the point of characters like Lucy Liu being in the story? 90% of the film is spent during the car ride to Vegas, which is good and bad, it gives a personal touch to a movie, yet does get kind of old after a while. I like Woody Harelson's character b\c I can relate to him in a lot of respects. One thing I found unrealistic, no chick would ever ditch Antonio 'de sexy' Banderas, I almost laughed when she 'broke up' with him. Antonio also looked a little weak for a boxer, but the fight scene in the end was not effected by it. The end is actually the best part of the movie, yet it is very predictable. Overall, not a bad friday night movie if you have some time to kill and a few beers to pounce. 6/10

even a weak Ron Shelton film is worth watching

[mercury-26 · 5/10 · 11 July 2000]

When you think of sports films, one name comes to mind: Ron Shelton. Five of his last six directorial efforts, not to mention writing efforts like "Blue Chips," have been about sports. "Bull Durham," of course, is his touchstone film, but "White Men Can't Jump" and "Tin Cup" are both excellent. Baseball, basketball, golf, and now with "Play It to the Bone," boxing. But are they really sports films or are they simply character-driven comedies that use the sports world as a backdrop?

Only Shelton knows if it's intentional, but almost all of these stories follow a similar formula: he takes three characters, two men, one woman, who are all different things to each other. Sometimes it's a love triangle, sometimes it's not-but the woman always has a lot to teach one of the men in particular (Susan Sarandon's character in "Bull Durham" to Tim Robbins', Rosie Perez's character in "WMCJ" to Woody Harrelson's, etc.).

One of the men is a washed up has-been or never-was and the other is the egomaniacal flavor-of-the-month (Kevin Costner and Don Johnson in "Tin Cup"; Costner and Robbins in "Bull Durham"). The lone woman always uses psychology to enlighten the men on how to play the Game better, both of sports and of love (Rene Russo's character in "Tin Cup" is a psychiatrist). The entire story is about the contrast between the men's and the woman's view of life. Somehow, the woman always ends up the wisest of the three, while the men are allowed to behave irrationally because that's what men do. In the end, she finds that one of them is hopeless, and chooses him because of it. A woman never met a man she couldn't fix, at least not in a Ron Shelton film (the exception being "WMCJ": Rosie Perez' character does actually leave Harrelson's).

"Play It to the Bone" is more of the same. This time, however, both men are washed-up has-beens--boxers--Vince and Cesar (Harrelson and Antonio Banderas). They both have a lot of kinks to work out in their lives. The only issue either of them acknowledges at first is money--they have none and are offered fifty grand apiece to fight as replacements on a Mike Tyson undercard. The two are best friends, both have been ranked as middleweight or super middleweight boxers, but they've never met in the ring. Instead of flying to Las Vegas, they drive from Los Angeles in Cesar's girlfriend's (Lolita Davidovich) car.

Davidovich plays Grace, the aforementioned all-knowing woman, a Ron Shelton staple. She's dated both Vince and Cesar and knows exactly what buttons to push. She knows what makes each man fight better and, over the course of the road trip that eats up the film's first two acts, brings each to the proper mental state.

"Play It" is like a rubber band: you keep pulling it back farther and farther, building up the tension until it's ready to break, then release. When the opening bell of Vince and Cesar's bout rings, Shelton's rubber band snaps. Grace's intention was for the two to fight each other and for both to do well, allowing each to unleash some of the frustrations they have in their lives. Her mistake was thinking that either man would hold back. By the fifth round, when they've beaten each other's faces bloody, we see the two aren't fighting each other any more: they're fighting themselves. Every woman knows that men don't talk about what's really on their minds. I admit it: We men generally deny what is true about ourselves until we're ready to explode. Shelton has a way of hitting the bullseye when it comes to human interaction, and does so again here.

The film's centerpiece, the final fight, is exciting and entertaining. It's more visual than anything Shelton has tried. As the men fight, they have visions that represent their respective life struggles. I found myself missing the Shelton of old, the one that just told it straight. Everything just felt more free and fun; loose. The story was always a free-for-all, a game with no rules, where absolutely anything can happen. With "Play It," he seems too intent on making a point and becomes (gasp) a filmmaker. The story actually has (gulp) structure, whereas his others were directionless, but in a good way. For once, Shelton wrote the characters rather than letting the characters write themselves.

Mr. Shelton, leave structure to the hacks and keep making great films.

Grade: C

It was funny and entertaining

[KineticSeoul · 7/10 · 15 October 2009]

"Play It To The Bone" is about two guys who are good friends and washed up boxers who are taking a road trip to fight each other in the ring for some money and the audience learn some stuff about there background as they reach there destination. The girl that gets between the two fighters played by Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson is Lolita Davidovich who is basically a skank but tries to act like she is not, a very irritating character that is portrayed as like being the hot girl that every guy falls for, also a temptress who use men for what she wants, but she is pretty fugly looking and can't imagine any guy falling for her in the way it's portrayed in the movie, when a lot of the movie time is taken up by the two rivals fighting amongst each other for a girl, at least make her attractive or at least somewhat likable. The characters are also not developed very well although the dialogue is very funny sometimes. Banderas and Harrelsn did a good job with what they had, but a lot of what happens between them was sort of predictable. Despite the flaws, this film had some good comedic moments that I enjoyed watching although a lot of it was bickering. And when the final fight starts you sort of care about it since the audience gets to know a bit about there background and it's also entertaining to watch even though the character development isn't strong as it should be, the fight however was well choreographed. There seems to be a lot of critics that are really bashing on this film, but I liked it. It was entertaining despite the flaws, it was entertaining and funny.

7.5/10

It looks to the journey as the focal point but the writing is far too bland and underdone to make it interesting

[bob the moo · 10 October 2004]

With the Tyson fight coming to Vegas, organisers Hank Goody and Joe Domino have put together quite a few big names on the undercard. However when one of their fighters turns up drugged out with two hookers and his opponent is pronounced dead at the scene of a car accident, they are forced to try and rustle up two fighters with a few hours notice and turns to friends Vince and Cesar. Taking the offer, the friends set off with Cesar's girlfriend to make the trip to Vegas for the fight – a trip that sees them learning more about one another while also trying to prepare to try and knock each other out.

I looked at the cast list for this film and wondered why such a film had managed to come and go in the UK without me even having heard of it. So many well-known actors, a big sports director and loads of star cameos – surely it must be great, well, in a word, no. This is not to say that it is awful because it isn't, it is just that the writing is nowhere near good enough to sustain the film and as a result the film is never engaging on any level. The film has a fight over the final 30 minutes, including set up, but the majority of the film sees us riding in the car with the three main characters. This focus puts a lot of onus onto them as characters and their stories to be interesting and engaging – the dynamics and the history in that car needs to be the edge, to be the hook that kept me interested. It has its interesting stuff but major things like Grace's relationship with the two men but it doesn't do anything with it whatsoever. Even during the fight her split emotions are made very clear but the actual script never bothers to develop it or make it more than very obvious padding. Sadly the majority of the dialogue was just bickering that didn't develop the characters at all and made their stories just fall flat in the telling because we don't really care about them. Bickering, as White Men Can't Jump showed us, can be fun when it is delivered as a source of comedy but here there are no laughs because it doesn't seem to want to be a comedy either. Its target seemed to have been a character sports film with laughs – but it pretty much misses all of those.

This is not to say that the actual fight isn't fun because it is pretty enjoyable if you like that sort of thing. Yes it is all a bit unrealistic but it is pretty exciting at points and only gets silly at key moments. It isn't a great fight but it is at least a relief to get away from the empty bickering of the majority of the film. Sadly it ends on a low point and then drags back into the empty script again for about 10 minutes before just ending without really telling us anything. Physically Harrelson and Banderas both look good – although Woody looks the buffest and is an imposing presence. Sadly he just plays his usual character and, without the material, he is exposed. Banderas tries harder to bring some character out in his role but he is just shadow boxing because the script is not there with him. Davidovich is OK but it is evident that she had no idea why her character feels for both the men or why it is so persistent – nor does she know what to do with it and, although light and fun, she alone cannot add substance. Lucy Liu is annoying and seems only there to fill time, flash flesh and fake an orgasm for the audience. Sizemore is fun but obvious, as is Wagner but both men are very underused. The cameos all roll in at the end of the film but other than saying 'oh look it's' they don't really add anything.

Overall this is a pretty poor film. It could have been better if the writing had developed the characters and made the dialogue relevant and interesting instead of just making it a load of bickering, but it didn't. The fight is enjoyable but mainly because it is a welcome break from the average stuff that has gone before, but fans of boxing will scoff at it even if it is quite fun for the most part. Generally it is a missed opportunity with an average script and no real aspirations; not bad just really weak.

Great Boxing Scenes but Movie too Long

[jam-35 · 5/10 · 27 June 2000]

This movie had some great boxing scenes. The hits looked real and the cuts and bruises did too. The only problem with this movie was it was a little over two hours. Instead of flying to Las Vegas, they drove there. This led to over 40 minutes in the car (Nice car though). If the movie was 90 minutes, it would have been much better.

A nice touch was the use of real boxing personality. For the casual fan, people would reconize George Foreman, Mike Tyson and other from HBO. It also had real cutmen and trainers in the corners. The director/writer does his research and the movie does show it.

Still the movie is a 5 out of 10.

Nothing to get excited over

[alsnow35 · 6/10 · 28 May 2001]

This film isn't much. Dumb plot, few laughs, and a good boxing bout between two men who were given a second chance to show the people that they got what it takes to become a champ. Neither of them walk away a winner- (predictable) but instead walk away with a newly improved friendship. This is surely a forgettable film, but doesn't fail to entertain. If you go to Blockbuster at 9:00 on a Friday night and 2/3's of their movies are rented out. Rent this one...Its good for a few laughs. 5.8/10

What could really be done with this film?

[baumer · 3/10 · 14 February 2000]

Warning: may contain spoilers and is not very kind to Bette Midler

As a frequent film goer I have what you may call a virus or a disease. It is not necessarily a bad one but it is one that definelty controls me in some way. My disease is what is known as havetoseeeverymoviethatcomesoutinthetheaters. I've had it since I was about 18. I couldn't help it. There is nothing better that to sit in a cool theater on a warm summers day or in a warm theater on a cold winters day ( more the norm here in Southern Ontario ) and kick back with M&M's and a Diet Coke and watch the latest instalment of trash that Hollywood unleashes on us. Because let's face it, for every Indiana Jones film there is a film like Double Jeopardy. For every film like Saving Private Ryan or JFK or American Beauty there is a film like Magnolia and Play It To The Bone. This is the kind of film that, as a seasoned film goer, I saw the preview for it in the theater and I groaned silently because I knew there really wasn't much they could with it. They showed two actors that are great to watch as part of an ensemble cast but way too average to open a film on the strength of their names alone. They told us that it was directed by the same guy that did Bull Durham and Hollywood has been using that fact to sell Ron Shelton films ever since even though he hasn't done anything good or box office noteworthy since. They tell us that there is supposed to be some humour by showing us Tom Sizemore as a sleazy promoter doing his sleazy promoter thing and they show us that there may be some sex and some sort of love story because they have a slutty sounding Lucy Lui and a tough as nails sounding Lolita Dovidovich. And then they have a promised boxing match and a drive across America to get there. And that is what we, the public are left with. Is it any surprise that this film is going to the same kind of business as Silent Night Deadly Night part 7 would if it was released at the theater? There is no intrigue and nothing that you can really sink your teeth into to make you want to run out and see the film. People like me don't really count seeing as we have that terrible disease I was telling you about. The only actors that can cure this disease is Bette Midler and ocassionally Woody Allen but then there is even times when he is powerless against it, but not Midler. She is like Tylenol to a headache, she will stop havetoseeeverymoviethatcomesoutatthetheater syndrome every time.

Play It To The Bone is a boring ride with three people where three quarters of the film takes place in a convertable and the three characters are given dialogue about their past, their future, their vices, their lovelives, their fears and, well, you get the picture. There really is only so much you can do with a film like this. Very quickly it becomes lethargic and tedious. I do have to admit that the boxing match was exciting but it was also the same after the second round. Every time someone gets knocked down they are going to get up at nine and then the fight will continue and eventually the non-caring sparse crowd is going to really care for the two combatants in the ring. Can you say Rocky vs. Drago all over again? Folks seriously, Stallone and Scorsese did it better and to try improve or to even emulate what they did is futile. Ron Shelton had one good film and he has been living off that reputation ever since. I have said it before and I'll say it again..... if you can make one good film in Hollywood then you have a grace period of usually five years, in Shelton's case it has lasted about a decade. This film is boring, pretenscious and tiresome. Unless you have this terrible disease that I suffer with, then my advise to you is to stay away. Or look for the next Bette Midler film.

3 out of 10

A Cool, yet long, boxing comedy

[Quinoa1984 · 6/10 · 30 July 2000]

Not too many boxing films are comedies, but this is one of them (even though it is also a drama). Mainly thanks to sports film-maker Ron Shelton, who has brought to the screen films from all facets of sports (baseball- Bull Durham and Cobb, golf- Tin Cup and Basketball- White Man Can't Jump and Blue Chips). Now, he has brought boxing. But the film isn't really about boxing (like Raging Bull or Rocky was) as it is about the people who are going to be in the match- 2 good friends (Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas) who take a day trip from L.A. to Las Vegas to fight in the undercard for Mike Tyson (is Tyson still allowed to fight in Vegas anyway). Some great characterizations from them and they're girl (Lolita Davidovich) as they travel to Vegas, so except for the brutal yet exceptional fight at the end, most of the film is about people and not sports, as Shelton does in most of his films. Good, but not great for Shelton, but also good for sports films. A-

Ultimately - boxing movie with no punch, road trip with no end

[Big O-7 · 4/10 · 24 January 2000]

Here we go on the old merry-go-round again. A great premise, an attractive cast, a solid director, and ultimately, a bad combination. I myself had been salivating at the idea of Woody Harrleson and Ron Shelton teaming up again. And they say good things come to those who wait ... NOT TRUE!!! The only person who packs a punch here is Lolita Davidovich, who provides the ONLY reason that one would want to see this movie. Mr. Harrleson and Mr. Banderas have both proven that they have screen charisma, and they have it here too, but they are not given much good dialogue nor understandable actions to undertake, so Ms. Davidovich (especially in the red-dress scenes) easily knocks them both out of her way. If you want to see Mr. Harrleson, go rent THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT, or turn on a re-run of CHEERS. For Mr. Banderas, rent DESPERADO and THE MASK OF ZORRO. For Mr. Shelton, rent WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP (his previous collaboration with Mr. Harrleson), BULL DURHAM, COBB (also with Ms. Davidovich and with a super performance by Tommy Lee Jones as the original SOB himself), or TIN CUP. For Ms. Davidovich, rent BLAZE.

Simply Flawless

[atzimo · 10/10 · 11 May 2004]

'Play It to the Bone' is underrated and definitely underseen. It's just fun to watch. In fact this movie is perfect. The cast, the acting, the direction, the story, are all perfect.

You see, nowadays we are used to these super-productions with uncontrollable budgets, that they are ultimately nothing too special. To me 'Play It to the Bone' is a work of art a lot more important than 'Phantom Menace' or 'Lord of the Rings-whichever part'.

Furthermore 'Play It to the Bone' is actually one of the best boxing movies. And the celebrity cameos are nice.

This movie has got humor, suspense, a solid story and substance. I have seen it many times occasionally on TV and it still feels fresh every time I watch it.

10/10

Good film? Bad Film? call it a A Draw.

[CharltonBoy · 6/10 · 30 April 2002]

There is something about Play It To the Bone that makes you overlook the glaring mistakes and actually makes you like the film. There isn't a memorable story ,the script is nothing special and the acting would never win an acadamy award but the fact that Woody Harleson and Antonio Banderas work well together and have a certain chemistry on screen , makes the film OK. Now for the negative side.... There are many mistakes made such as,The announcer read out the fighter history and he said one fighter had drawn p bouts and the other 6! That would never be the case. The most a fighter would ever draw would be 2. We also see Rod Stewart with Lucy Lui on his arm at the fight,when has Rod ever been out with a woman who is not a blond?! The fight scenes are good but they are too long and as for Vince seeing the girls topless walking around the ring, that's just not funny. We also see lots of celebrities looking out of place in the film, i can only think that these scenes were shot at a real match in Vegas but they dont add to movie they obviously look like they have been asked at the last minute to be shot for this film and it does not work.

I know it sounds like i hate the film but i dont. Give it a chance. 6 out of 10.

STORY'S GOT A GLASS JAW, BUT FIGHT'S A KO

[Swampfox · 2 March 2000]

A boxing film from minor or no league sports milieu chronicler Ron Shelton (Bull Durham, White Men Can't Jump) with the not exactly untested talents of Antonio Banderas, Woody Harrelson, Tom Sizemore, Robert Wagner, Richard Masur, Lolita Davidovich and Lucy Liu. What's wrong with this picture? Nothing once you get to the last third and the actual fight ensues. It's the first 90 minutes that's not quite a knock out. In our overly commercialized and celebrity athlete obsessed world culture, Shelton has made a career out of showing us the world of the also-rans (and jumped and hit and thrown, etc.). For every record breaking multi-millioned contract holder making even more telling the world to guzzle the Gatorade, there's a hundred guys like "Durham's" Crash Davis trying to eke out one more season before taking a job at the sports shop or hardware store. This is "Bone's" big stumble, not really establishing what kinda of lives these two has-beens lead now that they are reduced to working as sparring partners at a no-name local L.A. gym. Shelton would have written this a whole lot smarter if he had picked a venue he knew better back east, say New Orleans or St. Louis for Banderas' Cesar and Harrelson's Vince to hail from. It would have made the road trip a helluva lot more interesting visually, moving through prairie to mountains to desert. Instead, we get dried brush and rocks as back drop for Cesar and Vince's back and forth that is supposed to tell us who they are. And who they are isn't all that interesting, which is what's going to doom this film with audiences. This is story that starts off in the most contrived way. In a chain of events that starts with the undercard of a Mike Tyson fight in Vegas getting hopelessly stoned and haplessly dead, respectively, we are then asked to believe that the promoter would even in panic call two guys who don't even really fight any more. The film really needs the audience to believe and believe in these guys after this and Shelton fails to make Vince and Cesar unique enough. People might plunk down their eight bucks for a flick with stupendous special effects, but a great fight? Which is the one thing that "Play It To The Bone" has - a helluva fight. For filmgoers who thought the book had been written on showing a boxing match with either the high art stylization of "Raging Bull" or the pop art sequences of the Rocky franchise, prepare for the most brutally realistic display of the sweet science yet shown. In a sequence that uses a refreshing paucity of slow-mo shots, we are taken through ten rounds of sympathy-welt-raising fisticuffs. At least we know the time Shelton didn't spend on researching his characters wasn't wasted hobnobbing with Tyson and the other real-life boxing personalities who pop up in cameos during this section. It was spent watching God knows how many hours of old boxing film.

The sequence also manages a subtle commentary on the empty spectacle of such "event" sporting events, as the oblivious main event crowd gets sucked into Vince and Cesar's career defining contest. Here's what a boxing match is supposed to be about: two hungry guys out to prove they are top dog. And right up to the conclusion Shelton is on his way to making the first uninspired 90 minutes disappear - then he pulls his last punches and ruins it. This is when the anemic character develpment and unorginality catches up with him. The audience feels sucker-punched going out the door.

"We're Off On The Road to El Estupido!"

[poliglot · 1/10 · 6 June 2003]

Quite Possible the Stupidest Boxing Movie of all times. Have no Idea what the Point Was. I did not find it remotely clever, funny, poignant, or hell ANYTHING. I Am basically really tired of your basic "Humpage" scenes. And I think it might have been more clever if they had Jesus Topless in the final Scenes instead of the ring girls. This was something Like "Rocky IV meets Fear of Loathing in Las Vegas"

I must say this Surprised being such a terrible film, because there were some good Actors in this Film, and Ron Shelton has done some decent things in the past. I think what happened was one morning Lolita Davidovich (Rons wife in real life) woke up one morning and told him, Honey, write and direct a movie for me in which my character is totally dis functional moron that the audience will hate throughout the entire film.

In the words of Antonio Banderas in this film...And this picture is almost enough to make "go queer for a year"

Oh Yeah, It might have been a nice touch to see the Ref Nude to....or perhaps George Forman or Lampley

What a waste of good energy, Money, and My time.

On the road with 2 pugilists

[general_jihad · 7/10 · 5 October 2006]

If you like Woody, Tom, Antonio or Lucy, and like comedies, this movie is worth the watch. It was not in Oscar contention, by any stretch, but then again, neither are many good movies. This is one of those movies that is perfect on a Sunday afternoon, when you just want to be entertained by someone else's life. The pancake scene is just plain funny. The characters are believable, and you find yourself sometimes relating their actions to people you may have known personally. Having been around boxers a lot growing up, this movie has enough realism from that world to be believable.

All in all, it's a generally funny movie, and a feel good buddy road flick.

The worst movie I have ever seen

[mrw8 · 1/10 · 18 December 2005]

This actually wins the award for the worst movie I've ever seen. I give that award seriously. I've seen everything. At one point in this movie I said, "If she (Lolita D) laughs again for no reason in that annoying way, then I'm going to turn this off." seconds later she laughed for no reason in that annoying way for about the millionth time in the movie. I turned it off and have never seen the ending. One day I will muster the courage and watch it again. Like torture. to make me appreciate good movies. This movie is so canned that it looked like it written and directed by the same person...Hey! IT WAS written and directed by the same person. Ron Shelton. Classic movie idea of the week that fulfills his contract and Woody's and Antonio's. What did the story sessions sound like in Shelton's head?

"Let's make them doctors....no, basketball players. No, that movie has already been made. Didn't I make it in 1992? Oh, yeah. How about boxers? Yeah. And they'll be totally out of shape. Or maybe I'll just direct the fighting in such a way that you can't tell they are out of shape. yeah. and they'll drive for 60 minutes from L.A. to Vegas so I can keep it under budget and take care of that favor I owe the guy at MGM. Sure. And there will be a prostitute. And they will take bathroom breaks. And there will be expensive cars. We want the 15 year old kids who are stoned and who snuck into the movie to be happy. So the hooker will have sex on a pile of tires. Yeah. that's funny. Will we need a script? Naw. why bother? we need to make this movie in six days because I've got to go to Hawaii to play golf. So no script. And if we can't get Antonio Banderas then well use Lorenzo Lamas. No one will know the difference. Or maybe Woody will just talk to himself and we'll treat it like a David Lynch movie. They will ad lib everything. The important thing is to imply a lot of raunchy sex and to waste as much time in the desert as possible. And when in doubt we can just play Motown songs for 11 minutes. That will keep the stoned kids awake."

After that Shelton wrote this down on a napkin and got his agent to broker the deal. a week later the movie was in the can. a month later it was in a video store collecting dust. five years later I picked it up because I'd seen everything else. an hour into it I sat with an absolute blank look on my face and announced "If she laughs for no reason one more time..." the rest is history.

Lewd, Crude and Tatooed...But, What's the Point

[Bob-45 · 6/10 · 1 May 2001]

Let me first say that any movie in which Lucy Liu gets slugged by another woman can't be all bad. Lucy's ten minutes of screen time includes some of the raunchiest sex between her and Harrelson I've seen in a Hollywood film, ESPECIALLY between people in their clothes. That, and Davidovitch filling out that red dress is ABOUT all I remember about the movie (WAY too much silicone in the dream sequences). Actually, if boxing was exciting as depicted in the showdown at the end, EVERYBODY would watch and probably NOBODY would do it.

BUT, 'schuse me, but WHERE'S the ENDING? More importantly, WHAT'S the POINT?

You're OUT!

[angelsunchained · 2/10 · 24 August 2008]

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. You are out! Exactly. This movie stunk. It should of been counted out at the opening credits. Boring, stupid, and boring interactions between the three main characters. Gay bashing that never ended. No sparks between any of the stars. They were all flat, dull, boring, and lifeless. With the exception of a hot red dress, there is nothing of any interest to recall here. If you want to see boxing classics, rent The Set-Up, Body and Soul, or Fat City. If you're looking for comedy boxing, The Kid From Brookyln with Danny Kay is a great bet. As for Play It To The Bon, count to ten and forget about it!

A fight for sore eyes...

[dfranzen70 · 6/10 · 14 June 2000]

This buddy/boxing pic involves Vince (Woody Harrelson) and Cesar (Antonio Banderas), two washed-up fighters who have received a phone call to be last-minute replacements on a Mike Tyson undercard in Las Vegas. But of course, there are complications. They've been friends for many years, although they've never fought each other in the ring. Oh, and they both dated the same woman (Lolita Davidovich), who drives them both to Vegas - and dumps Cesar on the way!

Half of this movie is spent showing the guys traveling to Vegas from Los Angeles, squabbling along the way, picking up a slutty ingenue (Lucy Liu), and half is spent actually fighting the fight. I guess the reason for this is so there can be all sorts of suspense and tension built up during the road trip, as years of pent-up frustration can sufficiently simmer for the allegorical fight in the ring.

How much you enjoy this film will depend on a few variables - your tolerance for the cinematic stylings of Harrelson and Banderas, your affinity for pro boxing, and your love of violence in sport. It's often been said that there's a certain poetry to boxing, an art form in which the medium is blood and fists, but this film, for all of its slow-motion camerawork, doesn't exactly evoke comparisons to ballet.

I can't say that the acting is magnificent, because the actors don't act as much as they simply exist. The two male leads are very appealing in this light comedic romp, and they both play off Davidovich's character perfectly. There's plenty of sexual tension during the drive to Vegas, and that's a testament to the three main characters. The only debit is Liu's annoying skank - she wasn't very necessary and detracted from the story a little too much.

Horrible

[borden69 · 2/10 · 29 March 2000]

When I went to go see this movie I went with a group of people expecting to see a good, if not, great movie. What we wound up seeing was horrible. I thought of a movie where there would actually be some fighting. What my eyes were forced to feast upon was nothing but dialogue. I sat there expecting for the movie to get better. Then my opinion changed to where I was expecting to lose consciousness, which I did. I awoke about half an hour later to see these sorry excuses for characters still sitting in the same car talking about the same thing. If I were a huge boxing fan, which I am not, I would not grace this movie with so much as a glimpse. There is really only one thing I can say in summary, this movie sucks ass. Plain and simple.

Contrary to popular opionion, this is one of the best boxing movies

[Coffee_in_the_Clink · 8/10 · 1 July 2023]

This is a criminally underrated and underseen boxing comedy/drama starring Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas. They play two middle-weight boxers in their late-thirties named Vince and Dominguez, both contenders once, who train in the same gym and are friends. Due to a bad night which sees two big fighters dead and incapacitated after partying, a corrupt and mouthy boxing promoter, played by Tom Sizemore, and his crew, find themselves struggling to fill a fight for the undercard in Mike Tyson's bout tonight. So, they give the gym a call to offer Vince and Dominguez a shot... $50,000 each to fight each other, with the winner getting a shot at the middle-weight title. The men jump into a car with the woman they both love, and they set off on the long drive to Vegas.

Universally slated and panned by movie-goers on its release, "Play It to the Bone" is an example of a movie that has all-but disappeared. It is a shame, because I would rank this as one of the best boxing movies. The bout between Vance and Dominguez takes up nearly the last hour of the movie, and it is very well choreographed and Harrelson and Banderas are very convincing. They are great to watch together on their way to Vegas, they have very good chemistry and it makes it very enjoyable to watch them. But Lolita Davidovich steals the show in the opening half of the film. She is excellent as the fiery red-headed love interest, that both men love and have been in relationships with, and although it is understated, the two of them are fighting for her love, as much as they are the money and the title-shot.

The film has enough quirk to make it distinctive. Vince has found religion and sees Jesus everywhere. Lucy Liu appears as a young woman hitch-hiking to Vegas that the trio pick up, and she turns out to be completely unhinged. She is great to watch, and you can tell that Liu had a lot of fun with this. Tom Sizemore appears to be just a tad over-the-top in his performance, but for most part, it was warranted, because he plays an absolute pig. I had a good feeling sitting down to watch this forgotten gem. I knew that it was going to be good, despite the negative reviews that it continues to receive to this day. The comedy and characters, and the first half of the move in general, is what people appear to take issue with most. But I can only say that I really enjoyed that aspect of the movie, and that it builds the film up nicely for what turns out to be a superb battle in the ring between Vince and Dominguez.

A true friendship takes some heavy punches

[Kikabi · 7/10 · 30 January 2007]

I found this to be a refreshing buddy movie. Refreshing in that the buddies, Vince (Woody Harrelson) and Cesar (Antonio Banderas), aren't so polar in their personalities that they aren't always clashing in the usual clichéd manner. That is, one isn't a lot more fast-talking than than the other, or more wilder, or more idiosyncratic. They're just a couple of sweet dim-bulb washed-up boxers who mean well and are the best of friends.

When the under-card boxers for a big-time Vegas boxing event (Mike Tyson vs someone) both can't fight - seeing as one's dead and one's drugged-up to the max, Vince and Cesar get the call to take their places in the match that very night. They have to fight each other, yet it's their shot for each of them to redeem themselves in the boxing world.

This flick's half road movie, half sports movie, and all buddy movie, and the structure works. During the road trip from L.A. to Vegas, we get to know these guys and their former girl friend, Grace (Lolita Davidovich). During the trip, their idiosyncrasies, usually forgiven through friendship, begin to grate on each other, and their secrets, and their feelings of rivalry and jealousies, which they usually keep hidden, come to the surface. All of it builds in tension as they get closer to Vegas and the big fight.

But, when they arrive for the fight itself, we know that these guys still love each other, and we've come to like them. So who to root for during the boxing match? Seeing them prove that they're both good boxers and that either one of them could win makes for great dramatic tension, just the right stuff for a sports movie.

The boxing itself is terrifically filmed as we feel every blow and wince for each one of them. The ending is kind of predictable, satisfying and yet dissatisfying at the same time. Do they actually redeem themselves? It's hard to tell.

Lucy Lui makes an appearance, but she seems to be there just to be annoying and to have sex with Vince. It stirs up the frustrated Cesar, but, story-wise, that's about it. Fortunately, she doesn't stick around for long.

There are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments in the movie and it's got a lot of heart. Harrelson, Banderas, and Davidovich are right-on in their performances. If you're looking for a straight-forward sports movie, you'll be disappointed. But Shelton's movies have always been more about character, anyway. It's all about a deep friendship that's truly tested in every way. This is a character-driven movie that builds up to some great boxing that's well worth the trip.

should be liking this

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 18 November 2016]

After a couple of unforeseen circumstances, casino owner Hank Goody (Robert Wagner), fight promoters Joe Domino (Tom Sizemore) and Artie (Richard Masur) need a couple of fighters quick to fill the undercard that night. They call up over-the-hill Cesar Dominguez (Antonio Banderas) and Vince Boudreau (Woody Harrelson). The two best friends get Grace Pasic (Lolita Davidovich), who has been involved with both, to drive from L.A. to Vegas. Along the way, they pick up hitchhiker Lia (Lucy Liu).

This wants to be a comedic romp but sometimes it's off-putting. It starts with plenty of darkness and then Tom Sizemore gets terribly annoying. Harrelson and Banderas have good buddy chemistry. Davidovich is a pretty brassy broad and she steals the movie from the guys. I wanted Lucy Liu to stay in this movie. I really wanted to like this but I'm not really laughing.