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Parents' Guide to

The Challenger

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Boxing drama only worth watching to see costar's last role.

Movie PG-13 2015 94 minutes
The Challenger Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

age 10+

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Other than seeing the late, great Duncan one last time, there's nothing remarkable about writer-director-star Moran's predictably inspiring boxing flick. With far better boxing movies available, from classics like Raging Bull and Rocky to more recent fare like Southpaw, it's unlikely that audiences will feel compelled to see this middling addition the genre, especially considering that the film's actual boxing scenes are so underwhelming and uninspired.

Duncan and S. Epatha Merkerson, who plays Jaden's adoptive mother, a retired social worker, are by far the best performers in the movie, making the best of their cliched characters -- the wise and steadfast boxing mentor and the ill single mother who's always believed in her son. Although Moran looks the part, fit and fast, he's disappointingly bland as a hungry wannabe boxer who defies expectations.

Movie Details

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