Oh I was in tears last night! I rented the 1979 version of "The Champ" and actually watched it through twice. Ok, before you go and roll your eyes and say "oh...THAT movie...", let me tell you something. When you get it, watch it with the comentary on. The comentary on the DVD is by a now full grown Rick Shroder (when he was just 8 years old in "The Champ" he was soooooo cute!!!), and the man who played his father in the movie, Jon Voight. This is a case where the comentary is going to make this movie for you, believe me. Rick talks about how he felt about Jon all durring the making of that movie. He was only 8 years old and he just fell in love with Voight. He looked up to him big time, and you can just see it in the movie. In fact, all the emotional scenes between him and Voight, all of them are REAL! In that scene where Billy (Voight) is thrown into prison and little T.J. (Shroder) goes to visit him, Rick Shroder describes it as "magic" in the comentary because for him, as an 8 year old, it was all real. Even when Voight slaps him across the face. He has a long story about how they were swimming together durring a break in the filming, and Voight deliberately did something to set him up for that scene; it's amazing! In fact, in the scene where the two make up, it was so real to Ricky that he starts to actually break up and cry durring the commentary. I'll tell you what, it makes the whole movie a different kind of emotional experience from what it might have been for you in the past. It was for me, that's for sure.

The critics didn't like this movie too much, but who cares what the stupid critics have to say. This is one great movie in my books, now more than ever. I kept thinking about my relationship with my YF when he was that age, all the way through it. It was great although very, very emotional experience. Check it out!

Chris