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Fat City

Fat City

Drama · 1972

The story of two men, a veteran boxer who is down and out, and a young man who is just starting his life and boxing career. Their fighting careers cross paths as their lives and fortunes head in opposite directions.

Movie details

Fat City

“Life is what happens in between rounds.”

1972 Drama 1h 37m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

The story of two men, a veteran boxer who is down and out, and a young man who is just starting his life and boxing career. Their fighting careers cross paths as their lives and fortunes head in opposite directions.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Fat City?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Requiem for a Heavyweight

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After suffering a brutal defeat and being told he can no longer fight, 37-year-old, scar-ridden prizefighter Louis 'Mountain' Rivera struggles to find a new direction in life.

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

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An intellectually disabled giant and his level headed guardian find work at a sadistic cowboy's ranch in depression era America.

The Hurricane

The Hurricane

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The story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.

Gigi & Nate

Gigi & Nate

Drama · 2022

A young man with a bright future suffers a near-fatal accident and recreates his new life with the help of an unlikely animal friend.

Journeyman

Journeyman

Drama · 2018

A boxer suffers a serious head injury during a fight, and must deal with the consequences.

My Neighbor Adolf

My Neighbor Adolf

Drama · 2022

South America, 1960. A lonely and grumpy Holocaust survivor convinces himself that his new neighbor is none other than Adolf Hitler. Not being taken seriously, he starts an independent investigation to prove his claim, but when the evidence still appears to be inconclusive, Polsky is forced to engage in a relationship with the enemy in order to obtain irrefutable proof.

Sunset Boulevard

Sunset Boulevard

Drama · 1950

A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.

Giant

Giant

Drama · 2026

Follows Prince Naseem Hamed from his humble beginnings on the tough working-class streets of Sheffield and his discovery by Ingle, himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer. Their unlikely partnership, Naz’s unorthodox style, cocky persona, and sheer dominance in the ring propelled them to the top of boxing’s elite and unprecedented levels of global superstardom, all in the face of the rampant Islamophobia and racism of ’80s and 90’s Britain.

Resurrecting the Champ

Resurrecting the Champ

Drama · 2007

Up-and-coming sports reporter rescues a homeless man ("Champ") only to discover that he is, in fact, a boxing legend believed to have passed away. What begins as an opportunity to resurrect Champ's story and escape the shadow of his father's success becomes a personal journey as the ambitious reporter reexamines his own life and his relationship with his family.

Big George Foreman

Big George Foreman

History · 2023

Fueled by an impoverished childhood, George Foreman channeled his anger into becoming an Olympic Gold medalist and World Heavyweight Champion, followed by a near-death experience that took him from the boxing ring to the pulpit. But when he sees his community struggling spiritually and financially, Foreman returns to the ring and makes history by reclaiming his title, becoming the oldest and most improbable World Heavyweight Boxing Champion ever.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Huston

Written by

Leonard Gardner

Stacy Keach

Stacy Keach

Tully

Jeff Bridges

Jeff Bridges

Ernie

Susan Tyrrell

Susan Tyrrell

Oma

Candy Clark

Candy Clark

Faye

Nicholas Colasanto

Nicholas Colasanto

Ruben

A

Art Aragon

Babe

C

Curtis Cokes

Earl

Court is in session

Put Fat City on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.