Big George Foreman follows the legendary George as he grows from a loose cannon man and boxer to a man of God. Big George finds himself needing to get back in the ring to save his new life and fulfill his destiny. Starring Khris Davis as the titular lead, Big George Foreman leans more into faith than action and relies on its performances to carry the story.
I first saw the trailer for this movie during Creed 3 and my dumb brain expected this movie to be within the same vein as that one. As I said before, this is more of a religious movie than a boxing movie. I’m no expert on George Foreman but I have to assume that this was on purpose. Because of this, the boxing scenes are very forgettable. The movie glosses over the fact that George had a record of 76-5 to highlight his two heavy-weight championships. The focus lies on George’s growth as a man.
Similar to Creed, George Foreman grew up with a lot of anger from the circumstances around him. He has no outlet to release this anger except through fighting, where he packs a strong punch. After he dies after a fight and comes back to life, he quits boxing and focuses on his faith. He learns how to channel his emotions and be a better man for his wife, his family, and his community.
With respect to this movie, it just wasn’t for me. It’s a very slow, personal movie with not a whole lot of spice. The most entertaining aspect of the movie was Sullivan Jones’s performance as Muhammad Ali. It felt like all the energy the movie appears when he was on screen. Khris Davis does a fine job of capturing a young man who can’t control his emotions. Yet I just came away wanting more from him and the movie.
Final Thoughts
There is some charm to this movie, especially once George is older and enters the religious part of his life. I just didn’t find myself entertained all the way through like I would’ve hoped. It is a shame because even without knowing much about Foreman, I was plenty aware of his comeback to boxing in his 40s. It just wasn’t as entertaining as it could have been, and I walked out of my theater disappointed.
