Home »

[Odler]

I finally caught up with ?Ali?, two weeks ago, in a hotel room (a no-no), at $11.00 on pay- per-view.

I was expecting an epic; I got a light and predictable drama. ?Ali? the movie is far, very far, from capturing the essence of the moment and the personality of one of the most fascinating American personalities of the last century, the most beloved athlete on Earth, after Pele.

?Ali? the movie is about three boxing matches and a court decision. For whoever has not really lived the time of Cassius Clay, ?Ali? the movie is mediocre; for who did, ?Ali? is painful to watch.

The worst about the movie is the complete absence of solemnity. Too often, it plays like an addition of a B series in blaxploitation.

The direction is uninspiring. Whose idea was it to pick Michael Mann to paint this fresco in history? Weren?t the lessons of Johnathan Demme?s Beloved hard enough?

Will Smith?s register does not meet the requirements of this movie. The Fresh Prince is too poor of an actor, but also too typecast. His Academy Award nomination must be the result of? September 11. (I have my theory on this.) It is indeed almost offending that the Academy passed over Joel Osment?s performance in A.I, and handed the nomination to Smith. Will Smith is not Oscar material.

My list of complaints about ?Ali? is too lengthy. I would limit your suffering to two.

First, the editing team should be jailed. Any first grader with a good roll of scotch tape and a pot of crazy glue would do a better job.

Second, the relationship between Ali and Howard Cosell, the white journalist, is over hyped. It is made too central a theme and therefore falsifies the authenticity of the story. The fact that Cassel was the first to announce to Ali, by phone, the decision of the Supreme Court, is not only very likely untrue, but also it trivializes the moment. Notwithstanding that a team of highly paid lawyers were on the job. Would they wait to make that call from the halls of the Justice Department?

You should see ?Ali?, because it is about Mohammed Ali. But, keep your expectations low, lower. Let?s hope that a second trial at the biography of the greatest comes soon, and rings real.

(OdlerRobert Jeanlouie, Tuesday, April 30, 2002)