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BiographyTaon2023Tagal1h 39mIMDb6.2

The Featherweight

BiographyDramaSport

Set in 1964, a camera crew follows Willie Pep, retired featherweight boxing champion. Down and out in Hartford CT, married to a woman half his age and with a drug-addled son and mounting debts, Pep decides to make a return to the ring.

Panoorin Ngayon

Trailer

Cast

Robert Kolodny

Director

James Madio

Willie Pep

Ruby Wolf

Linda Papaleo

Keir Gilchrist

Billy Papaleo Jr.

Stephen Lang

Bill Gore

Ron Livingston

Bob Kaplan

Lawrence Gilliard Jr.

Sandy Saddler

Shari Albert

Fran Papaleo

Frank John Hughes

Mike Marino

IA

Imma Aiello

Mama Papaleo

Michael Siberry

Bill Lee

Jeremy Luke

Rocky Marciano

David Lavine

Karl Rierson

BC

Bruce Carrington

Goose

Louis Vanaria

Event Organizer

Patrick Murney

Don Dunphy

Gino Cafarelli

Harry Balogh

Delano Montgomery

Sam Hornsby

Jay Giannone

Gerard

Steve Loff

Writer

Mga Komento

10 Mga Komento

U

AnonymousMar 13, 2026

U

AnonymousMar 13, 2026

U

AnonymousMar 13, 2026

Initials & zodiacs❤️Jun 1, 2025

Think early, stripped-down Scorsese, before the big budgets (Ex. Italianamerican meets American Boy meets Mean Streets.) Shows the Italian-American experience, both the beautiful and the ugly bits, and just asks you to sit with it. This is not a flashy movie, if that's what you're looking for. It's a chronicle of a life. And that chronicle is well-acted. Ron Livingston and Stephen Lang stand out as the most recognizable faces. But James Madio brings a pep (pun intended) and vigor to Willie Pep's pain, keeping him likable, if never completely forgivable, yet always the guy you're rooting for. It's quite a feat.

KOJO LARBI AYISIMay 14, 2025

The Featherweight is a refreshingly creative approach to the sports biopic driven by the smoldering performances of leads Madio and Wolf. It's a tight script that knows when to breathe, and it comes with a well-drawn cast. I also enjoyed that the period accuracy wasn't built from obvious milestones, and instead existed only within the immediacy of Willie Pep's experience. In the end, the story lived in a moral grey area that was neither inspirational nor cautionary, and instead felt real. Overall I found it a very smooth and enjoyable watch, with enough levity to balance the pathos. It could probably lose a few minutes but it would be difficult to decide which scene to drop and there's not any real fat to cut. I hope this film gets the wide release it deserves.

Markus Steven WickiMay 14, 2025

"The Featherweight" is more than just the story of Willie Pep, former Featherweight Champion of the World. Pep is now in his forties, down on his luck and contemplating an ill-advised return to the ring. Told from the viewpoint of a documentary film crew memorializing this comeback attempt, the film bridges the divide between moviemaking and reality. James Madio IS Willie Pep, trying to cope with life away from the boxing ring, the only life he has known since childhood. Trying to survive while attempting to keep up appearances as he recognizes that he is a hero to his people and fans in his hometown of Hartford, CT. Madio literally disappears into the role. Ruby Wolf is wonderful as his young wife with her own dream to follow as she tells Willie that he had his chance. Keir Gilchrist as his troubled son, Billy, is as good as it gets. I particularly liked Stephen Lang, as Bill Gore, Pep's trainer and close friend. This movie, unlike most others I've seen in recent years, rings true. Not a false or gratiuitous note in the story. I recommend it highly, if you can take a dose of reality with your moviegoing experience.

user9327435708565Dec 10, 2023

The begning and ending is good, but inbetween everything is made in a very uninteresting way. Looks like a 5 year old kid was operating the camera. Random camera movement, zoom .. May be this is a creative decision but this spoilt teh expirence of watching a good film. It just gives a bad headache when you watch on big screen. I watched it at the international film festival of India 2023 as the closing film. Sad to see that most of the audiance dropped half way through the film, The rest were using mobile or sleeping. The story was interesting for audiance interested in boxing, but if this was done in a more audiance friendly way, it would have become a great film.

Jp VanzylNov 28, 2023

The story is really good and the edit, cast everything is good. But unfortunately looks like a 5 year old kid was operating the camera. Random camera movement, zoom ..a 5 year old kid can do better camera work. May be this is a creative decision but my personal opinion is movies have come a long way forward. This shakey creative decision has destroyed the expirence of watch'ing a good film. It just gives a bad headache when you watch on big screen. Watched it at the international film festival of India 2023 as the closing film. Most of the audiance dropped half way through the film, The rest were using mobile or sleeping.

N686OMNov 22, 2023

good

TikTok SportsNov 16, 2023

source: The Featherweight

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