The Calcium Kid (2004)

THE CALCIUM KIDI didn't really know what to make of this film at first. I was really hoping it was not trying to be a British version of Rocky... it wasn't which is all good.The movie is about a beginner boxer who spas with the world champion contender and accidentally breaks the number one contenders hand... all of a sudden he is put up for the championship match... even though he has never had a fight in his life.This is a comedy and it is funny in places, but it could have been funnier. There were a few moments which made me laugh out loud. It has a typical British humour to it which sometimes can be a bit too much, but for this it worked really well. The film makers didn't put a load of Americans trying their best to do a British accent. They used English actors.The story was really good. I was looked for nods to Rocky all the way through the movie and saw none. The ending also was really well done. I was expecting the typical ending to these kinds of movies, but the ending to this really threw me off of the scent and I didn't see it coming.The acting was really good throughout. Orlando Bloom proved he can act in comedies and actually has a goo comedy face. I think he could shake off the LOTR and POTC typecasting and really do well if he chooses the right roles. Other cast members which were really good were Omid Djalili and Billie Piper. But my favourite character was played by Rafe Spall who played Stan. A brilliant comedy performance.This is a boxing movie with very little boxing in it, but the story carries it along very well. It is worth a watch if you like this kind of thing... but don't expect a lot of sport.I will give this film 6 out of 10."Your timing's rotten, mate. I've got me bird over. I'm getting me nuts wet."For more reviews, please like my Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ordinary-Person-Movie- Reviews/456572047728204

Filmed in the style of a documentary, this British comedy is mildly enjoyable, but doesn't really do enough to leave you craving any more that it delivers.Orlando Bloom is Jimmy Connelly, a boxing mad Milkman who trains at the same London Gym as the British middle weight champion - who is due to fight the American champion in a matter of weeks.While sparring, Champ lands a punch onto Jimmys head which breaks his hand, leaving his Arthur Daley type manager to look for a replacement for the fight to save his "reputation" Who steps in??....You guessed it!!, the "Calcium Kid" is invented and Jimmy gets a lot more than he bargained for!! Not bad of its kind, but its certainly no "Mike Bassett England Manager" - you can't help but feel this film only made it to cinemas due to lead Blooms new found stardom.

This is a sweet and charming comedy about the milk delivery man Jimmy Connally (played wonderfully by Orlando Bloom) who gets the chance to fight against the undefeated world championship holder Jose Mendez in a boxing ring in London.I must admit I didn't have much hopes for the film, I like British comedies but the story seemed uninteresting to me, as I had only read a few (bad) summaries on the Net. I came across the trailer, and suddenly the film seemed exciting, and because I'm such a sucker for Orlando's pretty face, I got the film and I fell for it almost immediately!This is without a doubt one of Orlando Bloom's better films. Comparing it to his other films, let's say Troy...Troy might have been a major Hollywood movie, with a famous cast, expensive sets and a huge budget, but as Hollywood destroyed the story, I suspect everyone got disappointed by it. Calcium Kid has no flashy film sets, no huge Hollywood Superstar names lining up on the posters, and not an especially big budget, but it only proves that everything mentioned above isn't needed to kick Hollywood's ass. :)The cast of this film is great (with the exception of Billie Piper, who destroys every scene she's in), Orlando may be the big name, but the other actors shouldn't go unnoticed. Omid Djalili and David Kelly, especially, are doing terrific jobs!!It's a wonderful film that makes you want to see it over and over again. Don't forget to check out the Deleted Scenes on the DVD!!!

So far, this is my vote for the Feel Good Movie of the Year. It the whimsical story about an amateur (record: 0-0-0) boxer, played by Orlando Bloom, going up against the World Champion, played by Micheal Pena. The movie is shot in a pseudo-documentary style, so you really get to know the characters personally. There are quite a few laugh out loud parts, and the story goes along pretty well. The filmmakers used some standard movie "cliches" and stock characters, but they used them quite effectively.Orlando's character, The Calcium Kid, is very endearing. You just want to hug him and pinch his cheeks through the whole movie! xoxo The cast meshed really well. Even if you don't like boxing, you'll love this movie. Boxing is just the subtheme for a cute British comedy with a few real feel good moments. **** for me!