I had never heard before that Chuck Wepner was the inspiration for the movie "Rocky", or if I did, had long forgotten it. This film offers an overview of Wepner's career shortly before and after he was tapped to face then champion Muhammad Ali, by virtue of being the only Top Ten contender who was a white boxer. The film offers Wepner, portrayed by Liev Schreiber, as a bloated ego so full of himself that he wears his loss to Ali like a badge of honor, especially after the failed title attempt. There's not a whole lot of boxing on display in the movie itself, though the match against Ali is given fair treatment, with some brief archival clips of the boxers entering the ring of the actual fight, held on March 25th, 1975 at the Richfield Coliseum in Ohio. Trying to capitalize on his "Rocky" connection, Wepner descends into a self imposed hell of alcohol and drugs, hitting bottom when he was set up for a bust. Following his brief incarceration of twenty six months, a few paydays brought him matches against pro wrestler Andre the Giant, and quite ironically, Victor the Bear. That's not a boxer's nickname, it was a real bear. The picture leaves you hanging as to what happened against those non-boxing opponents, so for the record, Andre won the mixed bout by throwing Wepner out of the ring in the third round. As for the bear, Chuck actually 'fought' the bear twice, with both matches considered draws. As far as films go, this one has a made for TV quality going for it with a pretty decent supporting cast. Ron Perlman appears as Wepner's manager and corner man, Jim Gaffigan his friend and drinking buddy, and Naomi Watts an unlikely cast actress as a later in life partner and future wife once Wepner gets his life back on track. If you're a pro wrestling fan, you might catch a very quick glimpse of Fred Blassie in that archival clip mentioned earlier, walking behind Ali on the way to the ring.
Review of Chuck
