"Chuck"

 2016 * R * 1h 38m   The true story about the fighter who inspired the "Rocky" movies. It stars the immensely talented Liev Schreiber as Chuck Wepner, known affectionately as the "Bayonne Bleeder", the pride of Bayonne, New Jersey. It's a gritty film about an interesting character. And it only vaguely follows the "Rocky' story. 

Chuck is a womanizing liquor salesman who's also a brutal force in the ring. After Muhammed Ali takes the World Heavyweight title from George Foreman, he decides he wants to fight "a white guy". So Chuck's manager Al Braverman (Ron Perlman), arranges a fight in Cleveland, Ohio. Of course, he doesn't beat Ali. However he manages to go 15 rounds with him, which is quite a feat in itself. It's this story that motivated Sylvester Stallone to create the Rocky character and franchise. 

After Chuck's fifteen minutes of fame, his life devolves into a a total mess. He gets involved in a life of booze, drugs, and loose women. His childhood pal John (Jim Gaffigan), tags along for the ride. Chuck neglects his faithful wife Phyllis (Elisabeth Moss) and their young daughter. There's an absolutely devastating scene where he meets Stallone (Morgan Spector) to read for a part in an upcoming Rocky movie. He's so high he totally fails. You want to scream at the screen, "You idiot! This is your big break. Don't blow it!" It's this sad feeling that permeates a good deal of the movie.  There is a glimmer of hope when he tries to befriend an attractive barkeep played by Naomi Watts. She's pretty headstrong and doesn't take any crap from Chuck. 

I really enjoyed Chuck. It was a realistic portrayal of an iconic character. The acting was excellent, especially Schreiber. And the sets perfectly portrayed the early 1970's in a blue-collar town. It's not a happy film, but it's a story that needed to be told. 

4 out of 5 stars

It's currently streaming for free on Kanopy.com (with your library card). Also on AMC+, Plex, Pluto TV, and other streaming services.