Never Be A Punching Bag for Nobody

2023

Documentary

Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 80%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 80%
IMDb Rating 8.5/10 10 14 14

Plot summary

The film weaves together three stories: colorful boxing coach and ex-drill sergeant Sal Bartolo Jr., son of a renowned 1940s East Boston boxing champ; Naomi Yang herself, learning boxing from trainer Bartolo and reexamining some of her own family’s disturbing history; and schoolteacher Mary Ellen Welch, who in the 1960s mobilized a group of neighborhood women against encroachment from Logan airport, fighting back against an indifferent city government. None of these protagonists are destined to win the Big Fight, but all offer inspiration to anyone determined to stand up for themselves and hold their ground.

Director

Top cast

Sal Bartolo Jr. as (self)
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
597.5 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 4 min
Seeds 26
1.08 GB
1920*1080
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 5 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by 10 / 10

Excellent documentary filled with detail and history

This was even better than I expected! My love of boxing films, geography, underdogs and indie documentaries all in one place! The score was excellent, the cinematography was gorgeous (a sustained shot of marsh grass with the light shifting over and over blew my mind) and so well-paced! I don't know how she managed to pack so much stuff into 65 minutes and keep it that evenly balanced. A personal story, but also one about the history of an East Boston neighborhood and I love how these elements were woven together. This is a really, really good film. It could be an excellent episode of Independent Lens on PBS. I'm really taken by it and I hope Naomi Yang finds subject matter for another documentary in the future!
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