‹ All movies
Ali poster

Ali

year 2001decade 00sdirector Michael Manngenre Biographical sports drama

159 minutes

IMDb
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Will Smith Cassius Clay Jr. / Muhammad Ali
Jamie Foxx Drew Bundini Brown
Jon Voight Howard Cosell
Mario Van Peebles Malcolm X
Ron Silver Angelo Dundee
Jeffrey Wright Howard Bingham
Jada Pinkett Smith Sonji Roi
Nona Gaye Belinda Boyd / Khalilah Ali
Michael Michele Veronica Porché
Joe Morton Chauncey Eskridge
Paul Rodriguez Dr. Ferdie Pacheco
Bruce McGill Bradley
Barry Shabaka Henley Herbert Muhammad
Giancarlo Esposito Cassius Clay Sr.
Laurence Mason Luis Sarria
LeVar Burton the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr
Albert Hall Elijah Muhammad
David Cubitt Robert Lipsyte
Michael Bentt Sonny Liston
Robert Sale Jerry Quarry
James Toney Joe Frazier
Charles Shufford George Foreman
David Haines Rudy Clay / Rahaman Ali
Leon Robinson Brother Joe
Ted Levine Joe Smiley
Malick Bowens Joseph Mobutu
Victoria Dillard Betty Shabazz
David Elliott Sam Cooke
Brad Greenquist Marlin Thomas
Graham Clarke a Reporter in Zaire

Ali | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Van Lathanproducer Craig Horlbeckproducer Chia Hao Tatproducer Eduardo Ocampoproducer Matt Pevic
Explore episodeClose episode

Most Rewatchable Scene

The opening through the Liston weigh-in is the leading choice; other picks include the Liston fights, Malcolm X scenes, Ali watching Foreman destroy Frazier, Cosell scenes, and the Zaire arrival.

In the discussion (14)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:45Read transcript
  • The opening Sam Cooke montage through Bundini’s entrance and the Liston weigh-in is treated as the winner.
  • The Liston fight and its disputed glove contamination are discussed as a strong alternative.
  • Malcolm X’s hotel-room scene with Ali is praised for its camera angle and length.
  • Ali turning his back on Malcolm X in Africa is a scene choice.
  • The sequence of Malcolm X’s murder and Ali reacting in the car is praised as great filmmaking.
  • The second Liston fight is nominated.
  • Ali’s Vietnam phone statement is nominated.
  • Smith’s courthouse speech is selected as his best scene.
  • The Bundini belt-sale scene is nominated.
  • Ali watching Foreman stop Frazier is independently nominated.
  • The Terrell weigh-in is nominated.
  • Frazier taking Ali for a ride is nominated.
  • Ali finishing Foreman in the eighth round is nominated.
  • The Cosell material is selected by one speaker, while the opening and Kinshasa arrival remain other favorites.

The most "year the movie came out" thing

Will Smith’s commercial peak, the ascending-and-veteran ensemble, Ron Silver, and young Will Smith/Jada Pinkett Smith are proposed as the most 2001 details.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:50Read transcript
  • Will Smith’s status as a commercial sensation is the first answer.
  • The cast’s mixture of ascending talent and established performers is another answer.
  • Ron Silver is proposed through a junket anecdote.
  • Young Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are the final answer.

What’s Aged the Best?

Jamie Foxx and Giancarlo Esposito together, James Toney’s acting, the Foreman heavy-bag image, sports-media cameos, “The Champ Is Here” sample, Smith’s fighting credibility, the Malcolm X structure, and the opening music staging are praised.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:32Read transcript
  • Foxx and Esposito sharing the screen is the first candidate.
  • James Toney’s acting and the Foreman heavy-bag shot are separate choices.
  • Jim Gray and Bill Plaschke cameos are enjoyed.
  • The “Champ Is Here” sample is selected.
  • Smith’s credible fighting and the film functioning partly as a Malcolm X movie are praised.
  • The Sam Cooke performance recreation and call-and-response staging are praised.
  • The actors playing fighters were allowed to hit Smith hard short of knocking him out.

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

The speed-bag image, purposeful ramp walk, Foreman-fight entrance, dark Zaire arrival, and overhead-to-behind running shot are nominated.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:44Read transcript
  • CR chooses the camera behind the speed bag, synchronized with the music.
  • The fast ramp walk and Ali’s Foreman-fight entrance are nominated.
  • The dark Zaire arrival and running shot that closes in behind Ali are praised.

Is There a Better Title for This Movie?

Ali remains the preferred title over The Political Education/Awakening of Muhammad Ali, The Redemption of Muhammad Ali, and The Champ Is Here.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:35Read transcript
  • Political education or awakening and redemption formulations are floated.
  • The Champ Is Here is suggested, but the group returns to Ali.

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

The three-year narrative jump is the primary weak link; the relationship material and timing of Belinda’s confrontation before the Foreman fight are also criticized.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:05Read transcript
  • The movie skipping three years and many fights is the first answer.
  • A different answer says bringing in all the female relationships weakens the movie.
  • Belinda raising the relationship crisis immediately before the Foreman fight is questioned, with a defense based on her needs.

What’s Aged the Worst?

R. Kelly’s soundtrack presence and Ali remembering a woman from when she was an 11-year-old student are the distinct aged-worst choices.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:23:43Read transcript
  • The original soundtrack’s extensive R. Kelly presence is identified.
  • The exchange recalls that she was 11 years old when he came to her school, which is called a tough detail.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Three separate takes propose a Chauncey Eskridge film, praise Smith’s silent acting, and recenter the biopic on Ali and Frazier’s three fights.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:27:13Read transcript
  • A film about attorney Chauncey Eskridge representing both Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali is proposed.
  • Another take says Smith is at his best here when acting without dialogue.
  • The third proposes a co-lead Ali/Frazier film focused on their three fights.
  • The Frazier-centered discussion stresses the lasting harm from Ali’s public attacks and Frazier’s bitterness.

Apex Mountain

Will Smith’s apex is disputed among Ali, his late-1990s run, and Hitch; Michael Mann’s is placed at The Insider or the broader Insider-to-Ali imperial phase.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:24Read transcript
  • Ali is proposed as Smith’s apex, with Independence Day and Men in Black as the main counterclaim.
  • Hitch is argued as Smith’s purest movie-star peak.
  • The Insider is preferred as Mann’s apex, while the surrounding run is treated as his imperial phase.