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A sort of anti-"Rocky", Daniel Adams' indie feature tells the true story of Bruce "The Mouse" Strauss, a fighter famous for the number of times he lost. Indeed, it celebrates his commitment to losing, and the perversity of the angle is somehow refreshing in a society that celebrates winning at all costs.
Still, this ramshackle effort doesn't have nearly the charm it needs to overcome its lack of content, structure and pacing, although with John Savage's amusingly loose performance as Strauss, it comes close.
The Mouse was a journeyman fighter, the kind who can stay in the ring just long enough to make things interesting before going down and who kept fight cards suitably filled. He had about 300 fights during his 20-year career and spent much of his time dodging the attentions of the boxing authorities, often resorting to disguises and other tricks.
The film is an anecdotal and episodic account of his career, told in a loose comic fashion. Among its primary plot points are his teaching a prospective young boxer about the fine art of losing (he advises him not to train, it will only make things worse); his problems with his increasingly exasperated wife (Angelica Torn); his hitchhiking encounter with a trucker (Rip Torn) who turns out to be God ("I work in mysterious ways", he explains to Mouse, who is understandably perplexed when he loses a fight even with God in his corner); and his bout with a young contender, which turns out to nicely illustrate Mouse's philosophy of life.
As played with daffy charm by Savage, the Mouse is an engaging enough character, and the offbeat nature of the subject matter will no doubt make the film appealing to sports fans. (Cameos from several real-life boxers will help in this regard.) But the filmmakers have not really succeeded in their obvious goal of universalizing his story, and their attempt to make him a sort of glorified, comic anti-hero is not likely to connect with general audiences.
THE MOUSE
Strand Releasing
Director-screenwriter: Daniel Adams
Producers: Hank Blumenthal, Harris Tulchin,
John Savage
Co-producer: Matt Janes
Executive producers: Richard Segedin,
Charlie Irish, Jimmy Walter
Director of photography: Denise Brassard
Editor: Victoria Street
Music: Jonathan Edwards
Color/stereo
Cast:
Bruce "The Mouse" Strauss: John Savage
Mary Lou Strauss: Angelica Torn
Trucker (God): Rip Torn
Joe: Charles Bailey-Gates
Jamie Strauss: Irina Cashen
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Still, this ramshackle effort doesn't have nearly the charm it needs to overcome its lack of content, structure and pacing, although with John Savage's amusingly loose performance as Strauss, it comes close.
The Mouse was a journeyman fighter, the kind who can stay in the ring just long enough to make things interesting before going down and who kept fight cards suitably filled. He had about 300 fights during his 20-year career and spent much of his time dodging the attentions of the boxing authorities, often resorting to disguises and other tricks.
The film is an anecdotal and episodic account of his career, told in a loose comic fashion. Among its primary plot points are his teaching a prospective young boxer about the fine art of losing (he advises him not to train, it will only make things worse); his problems with his increasingly exasperated wife (Angelica Torn); his hitchhiking encounter with a trucker (Rip Torn) who turns out to be God ("I work in mysterious ways", he explains to Mouse, who is understandably perplexed when he loses a fight even with God in his corner); and his bout with a young contender, which turns out to nicely illustrate Mouse's philosophy of life.
As played with daffy charm by Savage, the Mouse is an engaging enough character, and the offbeat nature of the subject matter will no doubt make the film appealing to sports fans. (Cameos from several real-life boxers will help in this regard.) But the filmmakers have not really succeeded in their obvious goal of universalizing his story, and their attempt to make him a sort of glorified, comic anti-hero is not likely to connect with general audiences.
THE MOUSE
Strand Releasing
Director-screenwriter: Daniel Adams
Producers: Hank Blumenthal, Harris Tulchin,
John Savage
Co-producer: Matt Janes
Executive producers: Richard Segedin,
Charlie Irish, Jimmy Walter
Director of photography: Denise Brassard
Editor: Victoria Street
Music: Jonathan Edwards
Color/stereo
Cast:
Bruce "The Mouse" Strauss: John Savage
Mary Lou Strauss: Angelica Torn
Trucker (God): Rip Torn
Joe: Charles Bailey-Gates
Jamie Strauss: Irina Cashen
Running time -- 98 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/14/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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