Philippe Falardeau’s movie, “Chuck” gives an inside look at Chuck Wepner’s life that inspired Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky.” Wepner, the Bayonne Bleeder, was the heavyweight champion of New Jersey in the ’70s and was not known for his fighting, but rather his ability to take a punch.
Before I saw the movie, I never knew that “Rocky” was based on a person. When I learned this information, I expected the same uplifting story line as “Rocky.” Chuck ruins his own life after becoming famous in his own mind. There were times when I rolled my eyes at Chuck, not feeling sorry for his life decisions.
Outside of the ring, Wepner was a liquor salesman who wanted to be a good father and husband, but he could not resist the ladies. His shaky relationship with his wife appeared to be improving when Wepner was offered a fight against Muhammad Ali.
No one expected the fight to be great, but Wepner lasted 15 rounds and, to everyone’s surprise, was even able to knock Ali down. The fight influenced Stallone to create the underdog story of Rocky Balboa.
Wepner may have been the inspiration for “Rocky,” but the Bayonne Bleeder shows how easy it is to change your passion for glory. Wepner’s love for boxing quickly faded when he saw his life depicted in “Rocky.” Wepner made sure to tell everyone around him that the film was about his life even though he did not receive any acknowledgment or compensation from the movie.
Wepner bought into his own hype, quit thinking about his wife and daughter, and focused all his attention on drugs, alcohol, women and parties. His wife kicked him out of the house and that is when Wepner’s life started spiraling out of control.
His story is not an uplifting underdog fairy tale. “Chuck” shows audiences that fame comes with a cost. Wepner makes mistakes, alienates himself from the people who love him and ruins his chance to have a role in “Rocky II.”
Throughout the movie, Wepner quotes lines from the 1962 movie, “Requiem for a Heavyweight” and implies that he sees part of himself in the main character Mountain Rivera. Wepner says, “Mountain Rivera was almost the heavyweight champion of the world,” multiple times, referring to his championship fight against Ali.
Wepner starts to fall in love with a bartender and appears to want to change for her. However, in order to actually change Wepner has to hit rock bottom which comes in the form of going to prison for selling drugs. While in prison, Wepner gets a surprise visitor. Stallone wants Wepner’s help for his film, “Lock Up.” While watching Stallone shoot the film, Wepner finally realizes that his life is very different from Stallone’s, and he will never be Rocky.
Also published on Medium.