The Great White Hype
A sharp-edged boxing satire turns a champion’s comeback spectacle into a collision of racial marketing, celebrity hype, and competitive complacency.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- irreverent
- sardonic
- energetic
- sports movie night
- comedy double feature
What critics said
Critics generally found an initially wicked and promising satire of professional boxing that loses energy as it juggles its characters and reaches an abrupt conclusion.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Reverend Sultan engineers a high-profile boxing match to revive the marketability of the champion and his events.
Sultan seeks out the only fighter to defeat the champion because he is white, making race central to the event's promotion.
The challenger enters heavy training while the confident heavyweight champion takes it easy and falls out of shape.
The promoter's commercial calculations and the fighters' contrasting preparations undermine the heroic image of professional boxing.
Films like The Great White Hype, and why
Major League
satirical professional sports comedy centered on spectacle, promotion, and media manipulation
The Longest Yard
irreverent ensemble comedy exposing the commercial absurdity behind a competitive sport
BASEketball
abrasive sports satire with charismatic performers and a critique of celebrity culture
Movie Details
- Director
- Reginald Hudlin
- Release Date
- 1996-05-03
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Rating
- 5.2 / 10 (109)
Cast
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Jeff Goldblum
- Peter Berg
- Corbin Bernsen
- Jon Lovitz
- Cheech Marin
- John Rhys-Davies
- Salli Richardson-Whitfield
- Jamie Foxx
- Damon Wayans
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Great White Hype about?
- A sharp-edged boxing satire turns a champion’s comeback spectacle into a collision of racial marketing, celebrity hype, and competitive complacency.
- What is The Great White Hype like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Great White Hype as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Great White Hype violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Great White Hype as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Great White Hype?
- Critics generally found an initially wicked and promising satire of professional boxing that loses energy as it juggles its characters and reaches an abrupt conclusion.
- Which films are like The Great White Hype?
- Films with a similar feel include Major League, The Longest Yard, and BASEketball.
- How long is The Great White Hype?
- The Great White Hype runs 91 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Great White Hype?
- In United States, The Great White Hype streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
