2004, PG-13, 110 minutes

Erin Brockovich meets Rocky in Against the Ropes, a flat and uninspiring boxing drama. Playing a real life tough-talking dame in miniskirts and high heels won an Oscar for Julia Roberts, but Meg Ryan is unlikely to meet the same fate as boxing promoter Jackie Kallen. Ryan tries, but ultimately her miscasting is just one of numerous problems that K.O. this contender.

In the film "inspired by" her life, Jackie Kallen starts off as the lowly assistant to a Cleveland boxing promoter. She struts around in her provocative get-up and wonders why she's not taken seriously by her macho bosses. Jackie's been around boxing her whole life and knows the game inside out, since her father was a trainer. If only she could break into the big time.

She gets her chance during a verbal dust-up with the vile promoter Sam Larocca (Tony Shalhoub). Jackie asserts that she could take a boxer to sports stardom if given the chance. So Larocca sells her one of his boxers - for a buck. She visits her new client at home, but he turns out to be a crackhead. Luckily, she meets Luther Shaw (Omar Epps) as he's beating someone to a pulp in the same neighborhood. Jackie sees star potential in Luther, but this tough guy is no pushover.

It takes some convincing, but soon Jackie wins Luther over and takes him under her wing. Enter Felix Reynolds (Charles S. Dutton, who also directed the movie), the tough-but-tender trainer who helps Luther realize his potential (in other words, Felix is the Burgess Meredith character from Rocky). After a Luther gets a few successes under his belt, the press catches wind of the sassy female boxing promoter. Our golden girl loves the spotlight, it turns out, and even hogs it at the expense of the very boxer she's promoting. Jackie's grandstanding angers Luther, and it puts a wedge between the two. Will this traveling circus be able to get it together before the big fight?

Meg Ryan, as with last year's disastrous In the Cut, is obviously trying to distance herself from the romantic comedy genre that made her a star and also pigeonholed her. She uses an alarmingly deep voice as Kallen, and has the tough-girl body language down, but the role is ultimately not a good fit for her. Her acting stretch here is admirable, but the strain shows.

Some obvious technical gaffes show up in the movie, but at least they provide some entertainment. In one sunny outdoor scene, Ryan is seated on a park bench. In close-up, numerous crew members can be clearly viewed in the reflection of her sunglasses. They appear to be a supportive group, hanging on Ryan's every word, but perhaps their contribution should have stayed behind the scenes.

Then there are the extras. Extras, or background actors, are supposed to be exactly that: background. The extras in Against the Ropes apparently saw this as their big break, as they are often seen mugging, posturing, lip-biting, and trying to steal the spotlight from the main actors. This problem is especially evident in the final scene of the film (no spoiler here). It's a barroom scene after the big fight. Ryan and Epps have things to say to each other. The extras listen, their eyes widen, their heads nod at the declarations being made. Then someone starts a slow clap. Everyone knows the slow clap. A sitcom staple, the slow clap can sprout up after any climactic speech or moment, usually in a crowd scene. CLAP!...CLAP!...CLAP! Then someone else claps, then more people clap, then before you know it the whole place is cheering our heroes, unlike the audience members, who are groaning at this laughable cliché.

Actually, the occasional technical ineptitude of Against the Ropes sets it apart from other tired sports dramas. It provides some fresh entertainment in a movie sorely needing some. Jackie Kallen deserves credit for breaking into the male-dominated world of boxing promotion, but it's doubtful her real life is as formulaic as the movie that was "inspired" by it.