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Cardboard Boxer

  • 2016
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
Thomas Haden Church and Terrence Howard in Cardboard Boxer (2016)
Trailer for Cardboard Boxer
Play trailer2:02
2 Videos
11 Photos
Drama

Gentle and broken, a homeless man is coerced by two teens to fight other men on video for cash but soon finds comfort in an unlikely friend and the lost diary of a young girl.Gentle and broken, a homeless man is coerced by two teens to fight other men on video for cash but soon finds comfort in an unlikely friend and the lost diary of a young girl.Gentle and broken, a homeless man is coerced by two teens to fight other men on video for cash but soon finds comfort in an unlikely friend and the lost diary of a young girl.

  • Director
    • Knate Lee
  • Writer
    • Knate Lee
  • Stars
    • Thomas Haden Church
    • Terrence Howard
    • Boyd Holbrook
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    3.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Knate Lee
    • Writer
      • Knate Lee
    • Stars
      • Thomas Haden Church
      • Terrence Howard
      • Boyd Holbrook
    • 43User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
    • 41Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    Cardboard Boxer
    Trailer 2:02
    Cardboard Boxer
    Cardboard Boxer Trailer
    Trailer 2:01
    Cardboard Boxer Trailer
    Cardboard Boxer Trailer
    Trailer 2:01
    Cardboard Boxer Trailer

    Photos10

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 7
    View Poster

    Top cast48

    Edit
    Thomas Haden Church
    Thomas Haden Church
    • Willie
    Terrence Howard
    Terrence Howard
    • Pope
    Boyd Holbrook
    Boyd Holbrook
    • Pinky
    Rhys Wakefield
    Rhys Wakefield
    • J.J.
    Macy Gray
    Macy Gray
    • Den Mother
    William Stanford Davis
    William Stanford Davis
    • Jazzy
    Zach Villa
    • Tyler
    Adam Clark
    Adam Clark
    • Skillet
    Conrad Roberts
    Conrad Roberts
    • Methusalah
    Patrick Davis Alarcón
    Patrick Davis Alarcón
    • Evan
    • (as Patrick Davis)
    James Logan
    James Logan
    • Mullet
    David Henrie
    David Henrie
    • Clean Cut Man
    Johanna Braddy
    Johanna Braddy
    • Clean Cut Girl
    Jay Charan
    Jay Charan
    • Pawn Shop Clerk
    Elyse Cole
    Elyse Cole
    • Young Girl
    Paul Sanchez
    Paul Sanchez
    • Army Recruiter
    Stuart McLean
    Stuart McLean
    • Motel Clerk
    LeJon
    LeJon
    • Dumpster Diver
    • (as Lejon Stewart)
    • Director
      • Knate Lee
    • Writer
      • Knate Lee
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews43

    6.43K
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    Featured reviews

    7RM851222

    Not bad

    Greetings from Lithuania.

    "Cardboard Boxer" (2016) kinda reminded me a bit of "Time Out of Mind" (2014) - similar themes and surroundings. "Cardboard Boxer" is not bad at all character study movie (a bit), but "Time" was better in this category, but it wasn't such emotional as "Boxer".

    Although no awards will shine for acting in this movie, i liked the performances by Thomas Haden Church, Terrence Howard and Boyd Holbrook as Pinky - he could have stayed on screen longer. Directing was nice as well as script. This is well paced movie - at running time 1 h 25 min it doesn't drag.

    Overall, "Cardboard Boxer" is a nice little movie which will unfortunately i'm afraid be overlooked by many. Although it doesn't have anything original or very well made, is not a bad movie overall for seeing it once.
    7subxerogravity

    I can see the heart behind the movie more than I can feel it.

    Thomas Hayden Church plays Willie, a homeless man with a little missing in the head. Based on the title of the movie, the film was about Willie getting paid by some rich kids to fight other homeless people for their entertainment. The other star on the poster, Terrance Howard plays a man who was able to get himself off the streets and comes back to help those he left behind, trying to seek out these rich kids and stop them from exploiting the homeless.

    The richness of the film comes from Church trying to keep his mind straight, and doing this after coming across the diary of a young burn victim writing about the experience. He finds comfort writing letter to her inside the diary.

    Overall the film does a great job of making you look differently at the homeless. It get inside the mind of a man living on the streets, and it does not try to figure him out, just make him human.

    However, the movie does clean up far too well, and somehow this takes away from completely getting under your skin about the situation.

    It's a well driven vehicle for Church, especially with Howard riding shotgun, but it does not have the emotion needed for people to go out and see it.
    6walkaround-52635

    Life on Skid Row

    This movie shows one perspective of the scandalous life of homelessness. The acting is pretty good. The ending provides a tear jerking moment. Directing was great as this flick mirrors the reality really close.
    8matthijsalexander

    A good drama with a hint of action

    First of all.... don't be fooled by the word Boxer. I generally get thrown off by movies about boxers as I feel this gerne his been swallowed, digested and eventually ended up in the sewer through a process we all privately enjoy. Anyways, I think this film portrays the fear of every human: Loose everything, become homeless and adapt to the street life. I could not imagine, can you? Where do you go? What do you do? What does one do for entertainment? What does one do for money? This film, I think, provides a great glimpse into the life of a homeless man and reveals hardship, friendship and the ups and downs one may or may not encounter.

    His love for his new found treasure, his thoughts, his emotions, his actions are captivating and intriguing. This movie will make you think, will make you appreciate, will touch your soul (I am a cold person and not easily touched or moved).

    Enjoy this movie over candle light, with your better half. Men have a chance to appear empathetic and sympathetic, while still getting a bit of violence in. Win win.

    Superb movie which will be greatly underestimated. Enjoy!
    7carvey-539-442296

    Don't judge a book by its cover!

    I attempted to watch what I thought would be a meaningless time passer movie before bed.... I ended up watching a real solid attempt at an emotional movie.. I found my self falling deeper into the pain this movie portrayed. From the first 5 minutes to the last 5 minutes I was fully committed to what this movie has to offer. A film like this really shows a person how hard some people have it and what we all take for granted.. The weak and nieve get prayed upon by the "superior" but in the end we are all human and are capable of amazing things... Most viewers will see the title and move right on by thinking it's just another .50 cent cheap thrill, that lately has seemed to over saturate the movie industry. This is not that kind of movie. Enjoy it as I did and come away feeling pretty blessed about how lucky you have it.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During the making of this movie, Thomas Haden Church went in disguise as a homeless man in LA, when the cameras weren't around people acted like he was an actual homeless person.
    • Goofs
      Staff Sergeant had Sergeant Major stripes in recruiting office.
    • Soundtracks
      Blood Red Orange
      Written by Dustin O'Halloran and Sara Lov

      Performed by Devics

      Published by Seasoned Eyes Music (BMI)

      Courtesy of Splinter Records

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    FAQ16

    • How long is Cardboard Boxer?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 16, 2016 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Боксер-марионетка
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Night and Day Pictures
      • MJW Films
      • MJW Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $10,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 28m(88 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16 : 9

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