The Main Event (1979)

A bankrupt entrepreneur attempts to recoup some of her losses by getting a washed-out boxer she picked up as a tax loss back into the ring - an idea her protégé isn't fond of.

Director:

Howard Zieff

Writers:

Gail Parent, Andrew Smith

Stars:

Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Paul Sand

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbra Streisand	...	Hillary Kramer
Ryan O'Neal	...	Eddie 'Kid Natural' Scanlon
Paul Sand	...	David
Whitman Mayo	...	Percy
Patti D'Arbanville	...	Donna
Chu Chu Malave	...	Luis
Richard Lawson	...	Hector Mantilla
James Gregory	...	Gough
Richard Altman	...	Tour Guide
Seth Banks	...	Newsman
Lindsay Bloom	...	Girl In Bed
Earl Boen	...	Nose - Kline
Roger Bowen	...	Owner Sinthia Cosmetics
Badja Djola	...	Heavyweight In Gym (as Badja Medu Djola)
Rory Calhoun	...	Fighter In Kid's Camp

Storyline

Hillary Kramer, successful Perfume magnate awakes one morning to find that her accountant has robbed her blind and left for South America. Going through all of her remaining assets she finds a boxer, purchased as a tax write off. She decides to take Kid Natural, (Eddie Scanlon) who is much more at home giving driving lessons, into the ring and use him as her key to riches. Eddie thinks this will only get him killed and resists.

---

Plot Keywords:

perfume | boxer | accountant | opposites attract | star | 

---

Taglines:

A Glove Story

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pelea de fondo

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$42,800,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

First Artists,Barwood Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barbra Streisand's music on the soundtrack represented the music performer's first recordings into the genre of disco music.

---

Goofs

When Hillary and Kid are fighting in the ring at the end of the film, Kid calls Hillary, "Judy". Judy was Barbra Streisand's character's name in the last film that she and Ryan O'Neal did together, What's Up, Doc?.

---

Quotes

Percy: Man, you is the dumbest white guy I know.

---

Connections

Referenced in Queer as Folk: One Ring to Rule Them All (2003)

---

Soundtracks

Angry Eyes
Kenny Loggins (as Loggins) & Jim Messina (as Messina)
Written by Kenny Loggins (uncredited) and Jim Messina (uncredited)

User Reviews

Hard on the ears

Exceptionally brassy, brawling comedy set mostly in the boxing ring. Barbra Streisand is a perfume executive with the #1 nose for business ("It's the kind of scent a man can give to a woman, a woman can give to a man, a man can give to a man, a woman can give to a woman, have I left anybody out?"). Unfortunately, she's been embezzled against and has lost all her finances, except the contract to a boxer who no longer boxes (he just spends her money). Streisand and Ryan O'Neal eke out some laughs from the groaning dialogue (a really bad joke regarding Patti D'Arbanville's threat to meddling Streisand is the most offensive). The plot coasts along on the amiable chemistry between the leads, though all they seem to do here is argue. It bottoms out in the final stretch, ending with an extremely weak climax which got boos from the theater audience I saw this with in 1979. Barbra looks pretty sexy though and--braless in T-shirts and showing lots o' leg in her short-shorts--don't think she doesn't want us to notice. *1/2 from ****