The Featherweight is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film directed by Robert Kolodny and starring James Madio as professional boxer Willie Pep.[1] It premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2023.[2]
| The Featherweight | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robert Kolodny |
| Written by | Steve Loff |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Edited by | Robert Greene |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot edit
Set in 1964, a direct cinema camera crew follows Willie Pep, retired two-time world featherweight boxing champion. Now living in Hartford Connecticut with his wife Linda (Ruby Wolf), an aspiring actress half his age, a drug-addled son (Keir Gilchrist), his Italian immigrant parents, mounting debts and the feeling of faded glory ... Pep decides to make a return to the ring.[3]
Cast edit
- James Madio as Willie Pep[4]
- Ruby Wolf as Linda Pep[5]
- Keir Gilchrist as Billy Papaleo Jr.[5]
- Stephen Lang as Bill Gore[5]
- Ron Livingston as Bob Kaplan[6]
- Lawrence Gilliard Jr. as Sandy Saddler[5]
- Shari Albert as Fran[7]
- Imma Aiello as "Mama" Papaleo[7]
Production edit
Filming occurred in Hartford, Connecticut in late 2021, utilizing real locations from Willie Pep's life.[8] Kolodny cast both professional actors and locals to heighten the nonfiction aesthetic of the film.[9] Aside from Robert Kolodny, who spent the years as a documentary cinematographer on films like Procession and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, the team behind the film involved several celebrated filmmakers from the documentary community, including Steve James as executive producer and Robert Greene as editor.
Reception edit
The film received a five minute standing ovation at its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival.[10] It received critical praise with indiewire comparing the cinéma vérité to John Cassavetes[11] and Dana Thomas calling it a "mash-up Mean Streets and Raging Bull " in The Style Files.[12] The New Yorker's Richard Brody called it an "intricately detailed mockumentary of the 1964 end times of the boxer Willie Pep's career; eerily close incarnations of the era, an undertow of trauma behind the drive, vanity behind the ferocity".[13] It went on to be selected as the closing film of the 54th International Film Festival of India[14] and the showcase screening of the Museum of the Moving Image's First Look Festival.
The film has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on five reviews.[15]
References edit
- ^ Frater, Patrick (October 14, 2021). "Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way and Singapore's Golden Ratio Producing 'Pep' Boxing Biopic". Variety. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ "Biennale Cinema 2023 | The Featherweight". La Biennale di Venezia. 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ^ Saito, Stephen (2023-09-03). "Robert Kolodny's "The Featherweight" - Venice 2023 Film Review". The Moveable Fest. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ^ Day, Cassandra (November 7, 2021). "Leonardo DiCaprio brings the story of Willie Pep, the boxing great from Middletown, to life". The Middletown Press. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Arnott, Christopher (October 26, 2021). "Long-delayed movie about Connecticut boxing legend Willie Pep set to begin shooting in Hartford". Hartford Courant. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (September 29, 2021). "Willie Pep Boxing Biopic Starring James Madio, Keir Gilchrist & Ron Livingston Set To Enter The Ring". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ a b Arnott, Christopher (November 9, 2021). "'Pep' movie, about Connecticut boxing icon Willie Pep, has started filming at St. Francis, West Hartford home, Hartford Club". Hartford Courant. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
- ^ Altman, Jim (November 17, 2021). "A touch of Hollywood in downtown Hartford; Camera rolls on Willie Pep film". WTIC-TV. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ "Movie About Famed Connecticut Boxer Willie Pep Filming in Hartford". WVIT. November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (2023-09-03). "'The Featherweight' Review: A Poetic Tribute to Boxing Champion Willie Pep". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ^ Solomons, Adam (2023-09-03). "'The Featherweight' Review: Robert Kolodny's Debut Film Is as Agile as Its Irrepressible Protagonist". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ^ https://substack.com/@danathomas
- ^ https://twitter.com/tnyfrontrow/status/1769021960694960149
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (2023-11-07). "'Catching Dust,' 'The Featherweight' to Bookend Goa Film Festival, Michael Douglas to Deliver Masterclass". Variety. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
- ^ "The Featherweight". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
