The Great White Hype

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The 1996 movie The Great White Hype stars Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Berg, Damon Wayans, Jeff Goldblum, Jon Lovitz, Cheech Marin, John Rhys-Davies and Jamie Foxx .

The movie is loosely based on the Larry Holmes/Gerry Cooney fight of 1983, and the concept is based on the Henry Tillman/Mike Tyson amateur fights during the boxoffs for the United States American team. The name is a play on the title of the 1970 film, The Great White Hope.

The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Plot

James "The Grim Reaper" Roper (Damon Wayans), the undefeated heavyweight boxing champ of the world, defeats his latest challenger with ease and visits an after-party thrown by the Rev. Fred Sultan (Samuel L. Jackson), a conniving and manipulative businessman who also acts as Roper's fight promoter. The Sultan relays some bad news to everyone: The fight was a financial flop. He deduces the reason that boxing events have become far less profitable is because audience members are sick of watching only black boxers fight each other. The Sultan predicts that a white contender, even one without a viable chance of winning, would create a huge payday for all involved in the fight, and he vows to either find or "create" a white contender in no time at all.

After failing to find a white boxer currently in the sport suitable by any means, he discovers that Roper actually lost to a white boxer, Terry Conklin (Peter Berg), back in his amateur days. The Sultan and his unethical crew (which contains actors Cheech Marin, Jon Lovitz and Corbin Bernsen) find Conklin in Cleveland, where he fronts a heavy metal band, advocates peace and Buddhism, and constantly preaches progressive social issues. Conklin is uninterested in returning to boxing to face Roper, though he is eventually coaxed through ego-stroking by the Sultan and a promise of $10 million to help his quest in eradicating homelessness.

Conklin arrives in Las Vegas, where he is "cleaned up," and starts to train for his return to the ring. Thanks to shady dealing, Conklin suddenly is named the No. 8 challenger in the world. Boxing pundits and officials easily see the scam unfolding and label the fight a disgrace. No matter, though, as the prospect of a white vs. black fight appears to be as lucrative as first hoped. Conklin gets in shape quickly, regaining some of his old form, while Roper dismisses the fight as a joke - to the point where he puts on 25 pounds and is barely able to run.

Meanwhile, crusading television journalist Mitchell Kane (Jeff Goldblum) has finally gathered enough evidence to disgrace the unethical Sultan, but at the last moment, Kane is seduced by power and joins the Sultan's squad. As the Sultan's ego grows, Kane sees an opportunity to usurp him in power. Though Conklin was never believed to stand a chance in the fight, Kane recognizes that Conklin may actually win, and has Conklin sign with him, rather than the Sultan. Throughout all this, the true top contender to the heavyweight title, Marvin Shabazz, is repeatedly denied his rightful chance to a fight, and he proceeds to cause a headache for everyone involved in the hype scam.

The Sultan and his crew (using the media) heavily promote the fight and publicize the white vs. black angle, even fabricating an Irish ancestry for Conklin. The racism angle works, and money starts to pour in. On the fight day, millions tune into Pay-Per-View for the fight, and Kane is confident a new era is beginning with a Conklin upset. The fight begins, and Conklin gets in only one good punch before the out-of-shape Roper easily dispatches of his foe - which was the plan all along. Conklin quits boxing again; Kane's plan falls short; the Sultan cleans up financially; Roper's critics are silenced; and Shabazz, refusing to wait any longer, attacks the champ outside the ring. As the two fistfight, the Sultan screams to not give away something they can sell.

Quotes

• Sultan: "The highest-grossing fight of all time was Cooney vs Holmes. You know why, Champ?"
  Roper: "Yeah. 'Cause Cooney was a white guy."
  Sultan: "And his jab couldn't break wind!"
• Rev. Fred Sultan: Who was the last person to beat the champ?
  Sol: His mother!
• (Quoting his father)
  Mitchell Kane: Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and I'll give ya something to cry about you little bastard!
• (Speaking to a man with long black hair)
  Rev. Fred Sultan: "Hey Vincent, Vincent, where's Jules man," a reference to Jackson's character in Pulp Fiction two years earlier.
• Roper: "No one's ducking you man, you're just so black we cant find you!"

Trivia

• Before the final fight begins, Samuel L. Jackson's character is greeting other individuals on the floor next to the boxing ring and encounters a man dressed similar to John Travolta's character Vincent Vega, the hitman from the film Pulp Fiction. He briefly greets him and asks if he has "seen Jules", referencing the character Jackson played alongside Vincent Vega in the film, Jules Winnfield.
• This was Nedra Volz's last acting performance.

See also

• Racism
• MGM Grand Hotel

External links

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Last updated on Sunday February 24, 2008 at 10:30:18 PST (GMT -0800)
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