The Featherweight Explained

The Featherweight
Director:Robert Kolodny
Starring:
Music:Retail Space
Cinematography:Adam Kolodny
Editing:Robert Greene
Distributor:mTuckman Media
Country:United States
Language:English

The Featherweight is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film directed by Robert Kolodny, written by Steve Loff, and starring James Madio as professional boxer Willie Pep.[1] It premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2023.[2]

Plot

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, an aspiring actress half his age, a drug-addled son, his Italian immigrant parents, mounting debts and the feeling of faded glory ... Pep decides to make a return to the ring.[3]

Cast

Production

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.

Release

The Featherweight is scheduled to be released in the United States on September 20, 2024.[10]

Reception

The film received a five minute standing ovation at its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival.[11] It received critical praise with indiewire comparing the cinéma vérité to John Cassavetes[12] and Dana Thomas calling it a "mash-up Mean Streets and Raging Bull " in The Style Files.[13] 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".[14]

It went on to be selected as the closing film of the 54th International Film Festival of India[15] and the showcase screening of the Museum of the Moving Image's First Look Festival. Robert Kolodny was awarded the prize for best director at both the Provincetown International Film Festival[16] and the RiverRun International Film Festival[17] .

The film has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on five reviews.[18]

Notes and References

  1. Frater. Patrick. Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way and Singapore's Golden Ratio Producing 'Pep' Boxing Biopic. October 14, 2021. Variety. November 21, 2021.
  2. Web site: 2023-07-13 . Biennale Cinema 2023 The Featherweight . 2024-02-26 . La Biennale di Venezia . en.
  3. Web site: Saito . Stephen . 2023-09-03 . Robert Kolodny's "The Featherweight" - Venice 2023 Film Review . 2024-02-26 . The Moveable Fest . en-US.
  4. News: Day. Cassandra. Leonardo DiCaprio brings the story of Willie Pep, the boxing great from Middletown, to life. November 7, 2021. The Middletown Press. November 21, 2021.
  5. Web site: Grobar. Matt. Willie Pep Boxing Biopic Starring James Madio, Keir Gilchrist & Ron Livingston Set To Enter The Ring. September 29, 2021. Deadline Hollywood. November 21, 2021.
  6. News: Arnott. Christopher. Long-delayed movie about Connecticut boxing legend Willie Pep set to begin shooting in Hartford. October 26, 2021. Hartford Courant. November 21, 2021.
  7. Web site: Arnott. Christopher. 'Pep' movie, about Connecticut boxing icon Willie Pep, has started filming at St. Francis, West Hartford home, Hartford Club. November 9, 2021. Hartford Courant. November 23, 2021.
  8. Web site: Altman. Jim. A touch of Hollywood in downtown Hartford; Camera rolls on Willie Pep film. November 17, 2021. WTIC-TV. November 21, 2021.
  9. Web site: Movie About Famed Connecticut Boxer Willie Pep Filming in Hartford. November 8, 2021. WVIT. November 21, 2021.
  10. Web site: D'Alessandro . Anthony . August 8, 2024 . ‘The Featherweight’: Willie Pep Boxing Movie From Appian Way Unveils Trailer, Sets Fall Release . August 8, 2024 . Deadline Hollywood.
  11. Web site: Gyarkye . Lovia . 2023-09-03 . ‘The Featherweight’ Review: A Poetic Tribute to Boxing Champion Willie Pep . 2024-02-26 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  12. Web site: Solomons . Adam . 2023-09-03 . ‘The Featherweight’ Review: Robert Kolodny’s Debut Film Is as Agile as Its Irrepressible Protagonist . 2024-02-26 . IndieWire . en-US.
  13. https://substack.com/@danathomas
  14. https://twitter.com/tnyfrontrow/status/1769021960694960149
  15. Web site: Ramachandran . Naman . 2023-11-07 . ‘Catching Dust,’ ‘The Featherweight’ to Bookend Goa Film Festival, Michael Douglas to Deliver Masterclass . 2024-02-26 . Variety . en-US.
  16. https://www.provincetownfilm.org/festival/awards/
  17. https://www.yesweekly.com/film/riverrun-announces-2024-awards-banel-adama-wins-best-narrative-and-name-me-lawand-wins-best/article_f0585076-1143-11ef-92c5-bfdfa52b48c1.html
  18. Web site: The Featherweight. Rotten Tomatoes. October 19, 2023.

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