Don King: Only in America

BEFORE DIVING INTO THIS BIOPIC...... ..... FIRST...Let us FOCUS on the Title's Content and Context:

"Now if you all didn't have Don King...You'd have to invent him!", proclaims a larger-than-life Don King at the end of this Biopic. Moments later we see the standard, "Some scenes or events have been changed or altered for dramatic effect" biopic disclaimer clause. Makes you wonder just how much is really 'TRUE' and how much is Production invention! (Possible HBO payback for Pay-per-View deals that haven't gone so well?) Do the words "Conflict of Interest" mean anything to anybody?

HBO movies are invariably a 7* to 10* experience for me...Especially biotics.(OOPS! Decided to let this typo stand...Has a rather ironic/sardonic ring to it, wouldn't you say?) ONLY IN AMERICA was not up to HBO's usual standard of excellence. Since 5.5* is not an option, 6* is what you see above. What kept America somewhere in the barely OK zone, as opposed to not at all, were the numerable pop-cultural nostalgic moments, events and personalities, in addition to the behind-the-scenes story itself.

For AMERICA to have really soared, it required a top-notch performance from Ving Rhames. Although there were some scenes where he does really shine, unfortunately, a lot of his acting seems more like something of a caricature, a crude parody of the real thing! That Rhames won a Golden-Globe for his portrayal of King simply baffles me! Sorry, his performance just doesn't seem that great to me! Putting it mildly, HBO presents an extremely unflattering portrait of Mr. King: A back-stabbing, foul-mouthed, self-aggrandizing, utterly ruthless, oft-times buffoonish and chronically malapropistic speaker. (Although he did show improvement on this score as the years passed) But, pop-culturally speaking, you can't deny there's a lot going on in America! Apparently, most people seem to like this film a lot more than I did...So, try it if you will!

....ENJOY / DISFRUTELA!

Any comments, questions or observations, in ENGLISH... o en ESPAÑOL, are most welcome!

Even if you don't like Don King, you gotta give it up for Ving Rhames in this movie. He is an able portrayer of Don King, from looks to personality (heck, he made Don King a little likable!) The movie gave insight into a sport that you either love or hate - boxing, as well as a look into Don King's history. It made for good viewing and I found myself howling at certain points. A bonus for me happened at the end, during a three second stretch in which my boyfriend's head passed as he walked behind Ving Rhames and Vondie Curtis-Hall at LAX!

I would definitely give this movie a 10!

the quality of this movie surprised me. The editing, dialogues, and screenplay flow is superb. Tough for an actor to act to be Don King, an actor himself. Learned new english words too: "tried to DISMERCIFY me". I would reccomend that the viewer see first "When We Where Kings", the documentary of the Ali-Foreman fight in Zaire, because a good 20 minutes of this movie re-enacts many scenes straight from the documentary. There are imaginative scenes and dialogues: how the character impersonating Don King talks to the camera [audience] saying how HBO is making a movie on him; stunning beginning in which a scene from the past is bridged to the present zooming in on the footsteps on a stairway, then zooming out to see the entire figure walking of a much older person.

The best thing to be said for this film is that Ving Rhames, usually a supporting player, gets a role he can really sink his teeth into. He alone tries to carry the film with his charismatic, vivid performance. The film itself is typical made for tv fare-conventional, fairly unimaginative cinematically, competent enough to be semi-entertaining.

Ving Rhames, a largely unknown actor, whom most would remember from Pulp Fiction, gives his role of Don King all he's got, and it really does pay off. It results in one of the decade's best telemovies, leaving the viewer hating yet strangely drawn toward the eccentric King.

It revolves around King's rise to stardom through strongarm tactics. His violent itchy trigger finger deals it's wrath to anyone who gets in the way, and it's his no nonsense approach to boxing which gets him where he is.

The story is revealed through flashbacks, being narrated by an older King. Those are the film's funniest moments. Watching Rhames strut around the ring, whilst smoking a huge cigar and speaking in a near-scream make for extremely humourous moments. Rhames' conviction to the part makes King a character that's both funny and threatening at the same time. He relishes in hyperbole, taking the good with the bad and seeing what you get.

The idiosyncrasies and mannerisms of King are all portrayed masterfully, right down to the wavy Kramer hairstyle. Each of the supporting characters are great, but, watching Jaleel White (that guy from 'Family Matters') play Muhammed Ali just reminds you too much of his sitcom character.

It's a highly satisfying, yet powerful movie. One of the telemovies which can be recommended, which is a rare occasion. This would be a wise choice if Saturday night's viewing is not up to standard.

Nine out of ten.