3.5 stars out of 5
No, there isn’t a big-screen version of the old NBC spy-comedy that I never watched. Here, the titular Chuck refers to the real-life Chuck Wepner who maybe inspired the fictional Rocky Balboa. As I’ve lived in Hoboken, Wepner has been in my consciousness for over two decades. My initial exposure was a black-and-white photo hung on the wall of Piccolo’s, my regular Saturday lunch spot. The photo caption truly amused me: “The Bayonne Bleeder.” Within a few years, I met Mr. Wepner at a fundraiser here in town. Years after that, in Montclair, I met the brother of filmmaker Jeff Feurzeig. Jeff already had my great respect for directing the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston; I learned that he was making a documentary for ESPN about Chuck Wepner.
I kind of wish Jeff Feurzeig had directed this, because though it’s a good film, something is definitely missing. (Feurzeig is credited as one of the four screenwriters, I imagine helping to keep things fact-based.) It is a well-made film, with quality period details — at the story’s beginning, it certainly feels like 1974.
And the cast is top-notch. Liev Schreiber (also a co-writer) once again displays his versatility, capturing Wepner’s “Bayonne-ness” without turning it into a cartoon. I was happy to see Elisabeth Moss, channeling a Jersey girl as the long-suffering first Mrs. Wepner. Naomi Watts, Schreiber’s real-life ex, ably plays supportive lover #2. Ron “Hellboy” Perlman gets to sprinkle his dialogue with Yiddishisms as Jewish Boxing Manager Guy. And good to see Michael “Superboy” Rapaport, albeit in a very small role as Wepner’s brother.
So, what is missing here? Although Wepner’s story is one worth telling, ultimately the film lacks emotional resonance. Or maybe I’m just annoyed that it wasn’t shot in Bayonne. In any case, with a little more effort, this movie coulda been a contender.
Jack Silbert, curator