Carman: The Champion (2001)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Lee Stanley

Writers:

Carman (story)
Lee Stanley (written by) ...

Release Date:

2 March 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Tagline:

Sometimes a dream is the only thing worth fighting for...

Plot:

Orlando Leone (Carmen) must enter the boxing ring once again. Even though the doctor has advised him against it, he picks up his gloves for one last fight, for his father, for his church, for his love, and for his life. |

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Christian Film | Christian | Boxer | Character Name In Title

Cast

Carman	...	Orlando Leone
Michael Nouri	...	Freddie
Patricia Manterola	...	Allia
Jeremy Williams	...	Keshon Banks
Jed Allan	...	Laracco
Romeo Rene Fabian	...	Cesar (as Romeo Fabian)
Betty Carvalho	...	Geneva
Jay Arlen Jones	...	Johnny
Bill Boggs	...	Himself
Steve Albert	...	Himself
Hector Elias	...	Bernard
Kevin Rankin	...	Scrappy
Simon Brooke	...	Victor Anderson
Scott L. Schwartz	...	Big Mike
Eric Mosely	...	Buddha

Also Known As:

Heart of a Champion (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for street and ring violence, and for drug content.

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Code Productions

Not the Champion

Rarely is a movie made like, "The Champion" and for this we can be eternally grateful. Carman left the music stage for a movie that can only be described as embarrassing. I love Carman's style of music (he's one of my favorite artists), but he doesn't belong in a full-length movie.

The Christian Film industry has produced B-end times flicks like "Judgment", "Tribulation", and "Revelation" which look like classics compared to this movie. As others have mentioned, Carman ripped off quite a bit from Rocky (surprised he didn't take the red, white, and blue shorts from the last few films). It also includes an implausible love story and just for kicks, the gratuitous blowing up a truck.

As noted, the movie has some big problems in terms of morals. While Christians struggle to teach their kids to behave in a morally responsible manner and avoid sexual immorality, Carman makes out in the front seat of his car with a woman he just met while her son sleeps in the back.

While Christians combat the destructive force of organized gambling and the lottery, Carman's character gets the youth center of his dreams because his brother bet a few million on the fight Carman won.

Finally, there was the Commercial with the "Whoop@--" soda which was of poor moral taste.

The film's redeeming values are found in the fact that it spurred Carman's second "Best of" collection including a new single "Heart of a Champion" which would have fit so well with the film.