By Mermaid (Guest Critic)
How often does a female interested in sports get the opportunity to pursue her dreams? In the new movie Against the Ropes Jackie Kallen (Meg Ryan) is given that opportunity. As a young girl hanging around a gym owned by her father in Detroit, Jackie watched her father train fighters, including her uncle. Her dad would always try to push her out of the ring, but her uncle told her to go after her dream. She did and went on to become the first female boxing manager. The following is her true-life story up the ladder.

Jackie goes to work as a secretary for a Cleveland boxing promoter. She knows the sport. It runs in her blood. She needs to be in on the action but her sexist boss played by (Joe Cortese) only thinks of her as a bimbo that fetches his coffee. There's no respect. Although she's the brains of the operation.

So she's given the opportunity to get a boxer for a dollar from another boxing kingpin Sam LaRocca(Tony Shalhoub). She soon finds out that the boxer is a doped up angry dug addict. On the way out of the dump where her so called boxer lives, she runs into Luther Shaw (Omar Epps). He's a young thug with a chip on his shoulder larger than any boxing venue around. Shaw, in her opinion, has real potential, but it will take a lot of work to get him ready to go in the ring.

She goes to an old friend (played by Charles S. Dutton) who was once in the boxing circuit but has now retired and works for the Department of Motor Vehicles. She lures him into coming to see her boxer and wants his honest opinion as to whether Luther is worth the effort. At first (Dutton) is taken back by the guy, but finally gives up his day job to train Luther.

It's difficult for Jackie to get her first break. LaRocca tells her ex-boss to make sure no one lets her post a fight. Keep the girl out of the circuit. Basically make her a joke. She's not to be allowed into the old boys club. But Jackie is a fighter, and she's willing to claw her way to the top.

Jackie is a pretty Jewish woman from the 'burbs' and Luther is a young black man trying hard to survive in the streets. They connect immediately, they're both looking for respect, and a better life. After building her boxer up, Jackie begins to get a bit full of herself. She begins to like being in the limelight, and pushes her boxer to the back burner.

Soon they don't see eye to eye and become estranged from each other. But when the big fight roles around, Jackie finds herself back on the inside rooting for Luther to win, despite their differences. Eventually they do come back together and thank each other for the efforts that were put in.

First-rate performances were given by Ryan, Epps, Dutton, and Shalhoub. This isn't just a film about boxing. It's a film that brings together a bevy of lost souls trying to find themselves.

Before Jackie went on to manage her own boxers she took on a role as a sports reporter.

Mermaid