The Champ

19791979
PGPG
2h 1m

Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway, Ricky Schroder, and Jack Warden in The Champ (1979)

A former boxer discovers that his biggest battle of all is going to be with his ex-wife, Annie, who returns after abandoning their young son seven years prior.

Play trailer2:13

Billy Flynn is an ex-champion boxer who was KO'd by booze and gambling. When the wealthy, estranged mother of his young son begins trying to lure the boy away from him, Flynn must return to ... Read allBilly Flynn is an ex-champion boxer who was KO'd by booze and gambling. When the wealthy, estranged mother of his young son begins trying to lure the boy away from him, Flynn must return to the ring to provide for his child.Billy Flynn is an ex-champion boxer who was KO'd by booze and gambling. When the wealthy, estranged mother of his young son begins trying to lure the boy away from him, Flynn must return to the ring to provide for his child.

Director
- Franco Zeffirelli
Writers
- Frances Marion(story)
- Walter Newman
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 8 nominations total

Videos1

Official Trailer

Official Trailer

Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway, and Ricky Schroder in The Champ (1979)

Jon Voight, Ricky Schroder, and Jack Warden in The Champ (1979)

Ricky Schroder in The Champ (1979)

Jon Voight in The Champ (1979)

Jon Voight in The Champ (1979)

Jon Voight in The Champ (1979)

Jon Voight and Ricky Schroder in The Champ (1979)

Jon Voight and Ricky Schroder in The Champ (1979)

Ricky Schroder in The Champ (1979)

Jon Voight, Randall 'Tex' Cobb, and Ricky Schroder in The Champ (1979)

"The Champ" Faye Dunaway 1979 MGM

Ricky Schroder at an event for The Champ (1979)

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The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

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6.3

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The Main Event

5.6

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Otello

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Trouble Along the Way

6.8

Trouble Along the Way

Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway and Ricky Schroder star in this poignant story about a one-time boxing champ who is forced to return to the ring in order to maintain custody of his eight-year-old son. Voight plays Billy Flynn, an ex-champion boxer who was KO'd by booze and gambling. When the wealthy, estranged mother of Flynn's young son begins trying to lure the boy away from him, Flynn must return to the ring to provide for his child.

horse trainer weeping fashion designer debt racetrack 45 more

Taglines
- The most poignant love-triangle of all - a father, his son, and the woman who came between them.
Genres
- Drama
- Sport
Certificate
- PG
Parents guide

Trivia
Over two thousand children were interviewed for the key child role of T.J. Flynn.

Goofs
When The Champ slaps T.J. he slaps him while standing up but, in the very next shot, he's kneeling down by T.J.

Quotes
Ring Doctor: [SPOILER]
[Champ has just died]
Ring Doctor: I'm sorry.
T.J.: [Georgie and Jackie start to cry, TJ is shocked] No! Champ! No! Champ. Is he out? Is he out? What's the matter, Champ? Champ, wake up! Wake up! Wake - wake up!
[kisses his head]
T.J.: Champ, wake up, Champ! Hey, don't sleep now. We got to go home. Got to go home, Champ.
[Georgie collapses into sobs]
T.J.: Georgie. Don't cry. Georgie.
[TJ goes to the doctor]
T.J.: Mister, help me. Wake him up! Wake him!
Ring Doctor: We're all real sorry.
T.J.: Please, wake him up!
Ring Doctor: Let's go outside.
T.J.: No, no! I don't want to! I don't want to!
[runs to Jackie]
T.J.: Jackie! Wake him up! Wake him!
Jackie: TJ, please.
T.J.: I want Champ!
Jackie: TJ...
T.J.: I want Champ!
Jackie: TJ. Please, TJ, listen to me. He's gone. He's gone, son. He's gone.
T.J.: [shakes his head and backs away from Jackie] No. No! He's not gone! He's not! He's not!
Jackie: [Annie comes in, a smile on her face until she sees Champ and Jackie trying to calm TJ] Please.
T.J.: He is not dead! He is not dead! I want Champ!
Jackie: Please, listen to me, son.
T.J.: I want Champ!
Jackie: TJ, please, listen to me!
T.J.: I want Champ! Champ! He is not gone!
Jackie: [he and the doctor try to drag TJ away from Champ] Come on, son. Come on. TJ.
Annie: TJ.
[TJ walks towards her and hugs her, holding on tightly as he sobs]

Connections
Featured in Sneak Previews: Hair/Murder By Decree/A Perfect Couple/The Champ/Buck Rogers in the 25th Century/Love at First Bite/In Search of Dracula (1979)

Top review

9/10

Very disappointed...

...with the rating of this masterpiece. A 5.8/10? -_- I am upset about this.

What you have here is an epic movie that deserves a 9/10. It's the story of the love between a boy and his father, and the boy trying to make it on his own when his mother and father can't.

The movie starts out very big on horse-racing, showing how Jon Voight, "The Champ", is and gives brief glimpses into his past life. After awhile though, his whole past comes back to him when his son unknowingly meets his mother and develops a bond with her. Conflict between him and his wife rises and we see even deeper into what was a merely a shell of his life in the beginning of the film; he is complicated and emotionally bruised man, snapping sometimes at his son that he loves with all his heart.

The film has the most believable performances I have ever seen on screen, and is a tearjerker. But it doesn't try to make you cry once; the entire second half of the film is full of these scenes. Some work while others don't. Either way, it shows the true power and delicacy of unconditional love, and the way it ends leaves you gasping for breath because of the emotional impact it leaves. Not perfect, but it deserves a solid 9.0/10.

helpful•37

12

Winds_of_Destination
May 13, 2007

Release date
- April 4, 1979 (United States)
Country of origin
- United States
Official site
- Official site
Language
- English
Also known as
- Der Champ
Filming locations
- Hialeah, Florida, USA
Production companies
- Hialeah Park Studios
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Gross US & Canada
- $30,441,738
Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,972,684
- Apr 8, 1979
Gross worldwide
- $30,441,738

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Runtime
2 hours 1 minute
Color
- Color
Sound mix
- 4-Track Stereo
Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1

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