...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The Great White Hype

278 statements
54 feature instances
16 referencing feature instances

The Great White Hype	type	TVTItem
The Great White Hype	label	The Great White Hype
The Great White Hype	page	TheGreatWhiteHype
The Great White Hype	comment	The Great White Hype is a 1996 film directed by Reginald Hudlin. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Berg, Damon Wayans, Jeff Goldblum, Jon Lovitz, Cheech Marin, John Rhys-Davies, Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Jamie Foxx.The title is a play on the title of the 1970 film The Great White Hope, but it is not based on an actual boxing contest. It was inspired by Larry Holmes's 1982 fight with Gerry Cooney and Mike Tyson's 1995 return fight vs. Peter McNeeley.The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox, which also distributed the earlier film.James "The Grim Reaper" Roper (Damon Wayans), the undefeated heavyweight boxing champ of the world, defeats his latest challenger with ease and visits an after-party thrown by the Don King Expy the Rev. Fred Sultan (Samuel L. Jackson), a conniving and manipulative businessman who also acts as Roper's fight promoter.The Sultan relays some bad news to everyone: The fight was a financial flop, as a number of the champ's fights have been lately. Sultan deduces the reason that boxing events have become far less profitable is because white audiences are disinterested due to black fighters dominating the sport. The Sultan predicts that a white contender, even one without a viable chance of winning, would create a huge payday for all involved in the fight (citing the Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney battle in 1982 and the way racial tensions were blatantly and purposefully played up for the event), and he vows to either find or "create" a white contender in no time at all.Eventually, after some puzzling and searching since there are no credible white contenders around to challenge Roper, Sultan learns about Terry Conklin, a white fighter and Golden Gloves champion who knocked out Roper as an amateur. Conklin never fought as a professional and has long since retired from the ring and become an obscure socially conscious rock and roller who donates all his (meager, at best) profits to help the homeless. It only takes a few minutes of talking for Sultan to lure Conklin back into the ring, but Sultan soon has to deal with additional problems, including trying to get the skeptical boxing fans and press to buy the fight, the rightful top contender, Marvin Shabazz, who is furious at being passed over for a title shot, and a freelance journalist named Mitchell Kane who is looking to expose Sultan's corruption and bring him down.Hilarity Ensues as Sultan talks his way around and through all these problems en route to putting on the fight.
The Great White Hype	fetched	2023-09-10T02:46:06Z
The Great White Hype	parsed	2023-09-10T02:46:06Z
The Great White Hype	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Great White Hype / int_1282bf4f	type	No Celebrities Were Harmed
The Great White Hype / int_1282bf4f	comment	No Celebrities Were Harmed: The film contains plenty of counterparts and analogues to real life figures involved in the boxing trade. Some examples include: Samuel L. Jackson as Sultan is Don King. No two ways about it. Today Damon Wayans’ James "Grim Reaper" Roper could certainly be considered a 90s version of Floyd Mayweather Jr., but back when it was made he was a spoof of Mike Tyson when Tyson was still at or near the top of his game. Julio, the man who works closely with Sultan and manipulates the rankings of the WBI to make Conklin a top ten rated fighter, is one for Jose Sulaiman, the lifetime president of the real life WBC (World Boxing Council) who worked closely with Don King and often gave preferential treatment, rankings, and title shots to King's fighters. Even though he might not be meant as one, it's easy to see the parallels between Mitchell Kane and Bob Arum. Arum, like Kane, started out in a profession unrelated to boxing, (Arum was a lawyer while Kane was a journalist) got involved in boxing almost accidentally and became so enthralled with the boxing trade that he wound up becoming a promoter. Also, similar to how Kane first works with and then tries to supplant Sultan, Arum would vary between reluctantly partnering with Don King in order to promote specific fights to viciously competing against King to be the top promoter in boxing during the 80s and 90s.
The Great White Hype / int_1282bf4f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_1282bf4f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_1282bf4f
The Great White Hype / int_16e94b0a	type	Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll
The Great White Hype / int_16e94b0a	comment	Despite weeks of intense training and some flashes of potential, Conklin hasn't fought in years, never fought as a professional, has at least some brain damage, and has been living a hedonistic Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll lifestyle that hasn't done his athletic ability any favors. When he gets in the ring with the Heavyweight Champion, even one as out of shape, disinterested, and overconfident as Roper, he's quickly squashed. Turns out a few weeks of training and a lot of hype doesn't equal the years of dedication and honing his craft that the champ has put in.
The Great White Hype / int_16e94b0a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_16e94b0a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_16e94b0a
The Great White Hype / int_17d9043d	type	Read the Fine Print
The Great White Hype / int_17d9043d	comment	Read the Fine Print: Sultan's contracts aren't so much filled with tricks as deceptively vague. His legal adviser tells him that any attempt to prove it means anything specific will lead to years of litigation. This is done to make Sultan's contracts so difficult to enforce that it's easier for fighters to just go along with doing whatever Sultan wants. It's remarked in the movie that no sane lawyer would allow their client to sign such contract, which is why Sultan places his own people as his fighters' lawyers.
The Great White Hype / int_17d9043d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_17d9043d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_17d9043d
The Great White Hype / int_18d15922	type	Title Drop
The Great White Hype / int_18d15922	comment	Title Drop: Almost.
The Great White Hype / int_18d15922	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_18d15922	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_18d15922
The Great White Hype / int_1b3b48f3	type	David Versus Goliath
The Great White Hype / int_1b3b48f3	comment	David Versus Goliath: A challenger who never fought as a professional but is training hard versus the overconfident champion who has dominated the sport and refuses to take the underdog challenger seriously. Goliath wins, and it's not even a contest.
The Great White Hype / int_1b3b48f3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_1b3b48f3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_1b3b48f3
The Great White Hype / int_1d751503	type	Talking Your Way Out
The Great White Hype / int_1d751503	comment	Talking Your Way Out: Sultan confronts Mitchell, a reporter looking to make a name for himself by getting an expose on Sultan and who has blackmail material that Mitchell is willing to use. By the end of the conversation Mitchell is Sultan's publicist. This is in fact Sultan's MO, as every time he encounters a potential obstacle, (Conklin's drugged out nature and goody two shoes politics, Hassan and Shabazz trying to use force in order to get a title shot, boxing journalists protesting and pointing out the open corruption of Conklin being rated as a top contender, etc.) he finds an angle to take and a way to outfox his opponents. He never uses anything more than an occasional implied threat of violence, yet he always manages to get the better of people who are willing or threatening to be violent towards him.
The Great White Hype / int_1d751503	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_1d751503	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_1d751503
The Great White Hype / int_20c99f6e	type	Hidden Heart of Gold
The Great White Hype / int_20c99f6e	comment	Hidden Heart of Gold: When Conklin's charity work and social justice focus starts being contrasted with Roper's self-indulgent lifestyle in the media, one journalist finds out that Roper is actually spending large amounts of money on charitable causes and AIDS research, as well as visiting children's hospitals in every city he visits. Roper is pissed at what he sees as a privacy intrusion by the press and angrily ends the interview. (This is likely based on Muhammad Ali, who gave massive amounts of time and money to charity during his career but utterly hated it being bought up, as he considered making a big deal out of one's charity to be bragging about it and the antithesis of true charity).
The Great White Hype / int_20c99f6e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_20c99f6e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_20c99f6e
The Great White Hype / int_2c1f1138	type	He Who Fights Monsters
The Great White Hype / int_2c1f1138	comment	He Who Fights Monsters: Michell Kane starts out as an apparently sincere crusading journalist who is trying to expose the Sultan's corrupt and brutal practices. By the end of the film, he decides to leave journalism and become part of the corrupt and brutal boxing industry.
The Great White Hype / int_2c1f1138	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_2c1f1138	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_2c1f1138
The Great White Hype / int_3d699462	type	Curb-Stomp Battle
The Great White Hype / int_3d699462	comment	Curb-Stomp Battle: Despite weeks of intense training and some flashes of potential, Conklin hasn't fought in years, never fought as a professional, has at least some brain damage, and has been living a hedonistic Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll lifestyle that hasn't done his athletic ability any favors. When he gets in the ring with the Heavyweight Champion, even one as out of shape, disinterested, and overconfident as Roper, he's quickly squashed. Turns out a few weeks of training and a lot of hype doesn't equal the years of dedication and honing his craft that the champ has put in. Moments later Shabazz and Roper get into an argument that turns into a fist fight. Being horribly out of shape and fresh from another fight (even a quick fight) makes Roper slow, off his game, and in no condition to take on a top ranked boxer who is in shape and ready to fight. After only a couple of seconds Shabazz manages to hit Roper with a perfect punch and knock him out.
The Great White Hype / int_3d699462	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_3d699462	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_3d699462
The Great White Hype / int_40bb59d0	type	Blatant Lies
The Great White Hype / int_40bb59d0	comment	Blatant Lies: This could probably have its own page: Mitchell reading a letter from a boy in wheelchair saying if Conklin wins he believes he could walk again. It's a blank piece of paper. Most things that Sultan says to the press. Julio including Conklin in the rankings. Johnny Windsor proclaiming that he is not a racist.
The Great White Hype / int_40bb59d0	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_40bb59d0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_40bb59d0
The Great White Hype / int_40c57041	type	Manipulative Bastard
The Great White Hype / int_40c57041	comment	Manipulative Bastard: Sultan. He gets the boxing world, even the cynics, to believe that Terry is a legitimate contender for the Heavyweight Crown, and that's just the start of his antics throughout the movie. The very last scene of the movie is Sultan literally stepping over Roper's unconscious body after the confrontation between Roper and Shabazz, so he can sign Shabazz (Shabazz's current manager, Hassan, was also KO'd just moments before) to a contract and set up the next fight, with the clear implication that if Roper were to lose Sultan would immediately toss him aside and become the full time manager for Shabazz. Sol is no slouch in the department either. After Mitchell Kane replaces him in Sultan's inner circle, Sol waits for a chance, and then gets Kane to start considering the potential that Conklin might win a fight with an out of shape Roper. This leads to Kane secretly signing a contract with Conklin behind Sultan's back. At this point, no matter what happens, Sol stands to gain; if Conklin actually wins and Kane becomes a big name in the boxing world, he owes Sol for giving him the idea. If Conklin doesn't win and Kane gets kicked out of Sultan's inner circle because of this backstabbing, Sol has a chance to get back in Sultan's good graces and win his old place back. And along the way he either gets payback at the boss who dismissed him or the guy who replaced him.
The Great White Hype / int_40c57041	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_40c57041	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_40c57041
The Great White Hype / int_45007296	type	Metaphorgotten
The Great White Hype / int_45007296	comment	Metaphorgotten: Mitchell Kane interviews Marvin Shaabazz and Hassan El Ruk'n and this confused exchange occurs:
The Great White Hype / int_45007296	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_45007296	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_45007296
The Great White Hype / int_474e3977	type	You Have Failed Me
The Great White Hype / int_474e3977	comment	You Have Failed Me: A non-lethal version. When Sol, Sultan's PR man, finds himself completely unable to sell the public on the Roper vs Conklin fight, Sultan promptly fires Sol and replaces him with the tabloid journalist he just hired, Mitchell Kane. Kane promptly takes some new publicity angles and starts getting people interested in the bout. (The fact that Conklin lays out the rightful number one contender with one punch, even if it's a sucker punch, is an enormous help to both Kane and Sultan.)
The Great White Hype / int_474e3977	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_474e3977	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_474e3977
The Great White Hype / int_5300b1de	type	Invincible Hero
The Great White Hype / int_5300b1de	comment	Invincible Hero: This is the major reason they need the plot; Roper is so dominant in the sport that his matches are boring and the outcomes never in doubt. Shabbazz accuses Sultan of setting this up on purpose by keeping the real top fighters away.
The Great White Hype / int_5300b1de	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_5300b1de	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_5300b1de
The Great White Hype / int_562abd51	type	Let's Get Dangerous!
The Great White Hype / int_562abd51	comment	Let's Get Dangerous!: The moment Terry stunned Roper with an overhand right, that was when the champ started taking the fight seriously and delivered a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on his opponent.
The Great White Hype / int_562abd51	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_562abd51	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_562abd51
The Great White Hype / int_6b22aace	type	Not So Invincible After All
The Great White Hype / int_6b22aace	comment	Not So Invincible After All: Roper is an undefeated pro boxer who has knocked out all his opponents, usually so quickly and with such ease that it has made the public consider his fights too boring to watch. On top of that he only lost a single time as an amateur, when he was a teenager. After easily defeating Conklin even while in terrible shape, he gets into a brawl with the rightful top contender for the title and is knocked out with one punch.
The Great White Hype / int_6b22aace	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_6b22aace	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_6b22aace
The Great White Hype / int_6bda9a30	type	Meaningful Name
The Great White Hype / int_6bda9a30	comment	Meaningful Name: Conklin's band is called Massive Head Wound. Conklin is an ex-boxer who is revealed to have some brain damage.
The Great White Hype / int_6bda9a30	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_6bda9a30	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_6bda9a30
The Great White Hype / int_6dcbe9aa	type	Deconstructive Parody
The Great White Hype / int_6dcbe9aa	comment	Deconstructive Parody: In this movie the plucky underdog faces the harsh reality that sometimes the underdog doesn't get a happy ending.
The Great White Hype / int_6dcbe9aa	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_6dcbe9aa	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_6dcbe9aa
The Great White Hype / int_6edc54d5	type	Here We Go Again!
The Great White Hype / int_6edc54d5	comment	Here We Go Again!: After the fight between Conklin and Roper, Shabazz confronts Roper yet again, demanding a title shot. The two get into an argument that turns into a fist fight... and then to the shock of the entire boxing world, Shabazz lands a perfect punch and knocks Roper out cold. Sultan, who throughout the film had shown no interest in managing or setting up a fight with Shabazz (and likely considered Shabazz a terrible product to attempt to market to the American public, what with Shabazz being a very dark skinned, Jerkass, confrontational, angry black man) immediately sees that he now has an angle to market a Roper vs Shabazz fight. Sultan wastes no time and immediately starts working on bringing Shabazz under his wing, setting up the next chapter in Sultan's domination of boxing.
The Great White Hype / int_6edc54d5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_6edc54d5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_6edc54d5
The Great White Hype / int_729c69f3	type	Politically Incorrect Villain
The Great White Hype / int_729c69f3	comment	Politically Incorrect Villain: Politically incorrect world, more like. Nearly everyone around shows some level of contempt for women, other races, etc. About the only people who never do are Conklin and Bambi. Special notice goes to Conklin's trainer, however, who displays some true old school level of racism, between openly calling black people monkeys, speaking with approval of the Waffen SS, and at one point saying that the Irish don't properly count as white, but they're close enough.
The Great White Hype / int_729c69f3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_729c69f3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_729c69f3
The Great White Hype / int_7c862b8a	type	Chronic Backstabbing Disorder
The Great White Hype / int_7c862b8a	comment	Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Mitchell Kane. Starts off as a crusading journalist out to expose the Sultan only to take up a job with Sultan for a big paycheque. While it looks like the reverend is very happy with Mitchell’s work and will reward Mitchell for his efforts, Mitchell just can’t help himself. Once he starts to think that Conklin may have a legitimate chance to upset Roper, Mitchell gets exclusive rights to manage and promote any future Conklin bouts, stealing Conklin out from under Sultan's nose.
The Great White Hype / int_7c862b8a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_7c862b8a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_7c862b8a
The Great White Hype / int_823c6e3e	type	Large Ham
The Great White Hype / int_823c6e3e	comment	Large Ham: Jeff Goldblum enjoys a bit of scenery chewing in this flick. Whether he’s mangling metaphors aimed at the corruption in boxing or reading a blank piece of paper telling the audience that wheelchair bound child will believe that he can walk again if Terry beats Roper.
The Great White Hype / int_823c6e3e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_823c6e3e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_823c6e3e
The Great White Hype / int_863fa679	type	What Happened to the Mouse?
The Great White Hype / int_863fa679	comment	What Happened to the Mouse?: Mitchel's reporter team. Sure they quit when Mitchel did a Face–Heel Turn but one would think that they still have enough evidence to ruin The Sultan's career.
The Great White Hype / int_863fa679	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_863fa679	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_863fa679
The Great White Hype / int_868409c	type	Broken Pedestal
The Great White Hype / int_868409c	comment	Broken Pedestal: Mitchell Kane to his documentary team. He sold out. Big.
The Great White Hype / int_868409c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_868409c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_868409c
The Great White Hype / int_921cdca8	type	Nothing Personal
The Great White Hype / int_921cdca8	comment	Nothing Personal: Sultan shakes Mitchell’s hand after the fight. He knew Mitchell had succumbed to greed and wasn’t that bothered, he would have done it too.
The Great White Hype / int_921cdca8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_921cdca8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_921cdca8
The Great White Hype / int_95b7c400	type	Faux Affably Evil
The Great White Hype / int_95b7c400	comment	Faux Affably Evil: Sultan. His charisma and charm result in him twisting everyone around him into his victims or pawns. As a result he gets away with a ridiculous number of crimes, backstabbings, and double crossings and always profits from it, and even people who know what a ruthless cheat he is seem helpless to do anything about it once Sultan starts sweet talking them. But what else would one expect from a Don King parody?
The Great White Hype / int_95b7c400	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_95b7c400	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_95b7c400
The Great White Hype / int_9a8c7632	type	Dumb Is Good
The Great White Hype / int_9a8c7632	comment	While he mostly comes off as incredibly dumb but goodhearted, the film frequently shows that Conklin is something of a poser instead of the goody two shoes he wants to be. We're introduced to him singing about how he doesn't need to feed his ego on stage in front of fans that Conklin gladly shows off for. Backstage, the supposed Buddhist is presented with several groupies and picks one to have sex with. Conklin decries racism but ignores the outbursts from his viciously racist trainer Johnny Windsor and is willing to hype the fight using footage from sparring bouts where Conklin wears a shirt with the Confederate flag and beats on a black sparring partners. During one interview he speaks with disgust of how Las Vegas uses and exploits women but it's pointed out that he literally just posed on the cover of Playboy magazine, which doesn't exactly have a squeaky clean reputation when it comes to exploiting women. (And again, the whole things with the groupies from his rock performances.)
The Great White Hype / int_9a8c7632	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_9a8c7632	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_9a8c7632
The Great White Hype / int_9ab3da1a	type	Evil Mentor
The Great White Hype / int_9ab3da1a	comment	Evil Mentor: Sultan, who is an amoral liar, cheater, and thief, takes Bambi and Mitchell under his wing. In Mitchell's case, it's explicitly to derail Mitchell's campaign to expose Sultan. Mitchell first becomes one of Sultan's most promising employees, then winds up becoming virtually a carbon copy of Sultan, and even seems to plan on trying to compete with Sultan as a promoter in the world of boxing by the end of the film. Bambi seems more content with being a competent employee.
The Great White Hype / int_9ab3da1a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_9ab3da1a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_9ab3da1a
The Great White Hype / int_a10775b7	type	Mean Boss
The Great White Hype / int_a10775b7	comment	Mean Boss: Sultan rewards his subordinates when pleased with them, but even then he has a habit of casually threatening people and makes it abundantly clear that he is the boss, and displeasing him in any way could lead to very bad things happening. Various characters in his circle wind up getting a tongue lashing or, in Sol's case, an abrupt firing when Sultan doesn't care for their performance. Also, casually doing things like wielding a very hefty looking scimitar during a business meeting is not a sign of a nice man. But then, the man he is based on is a rather notorious figure who was involved in criminal activity and once was convicted of second-degree murder of an employee.
The Great White Hype / int_a10775b7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_a10775b7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_a10775b7
The Great White Hype / int_a53f784f	type	Appeal to Familial Wisdom
The Great White Hype / int_a53f784f	comment	Appeal to Familial Wisdom: Mitchell Kane interviews Marvin Shaabazz and Hassan El Ruk'n, and this confused exchange of parental advice emerges: After Sultan, with a little help from his phalanx of armed bodyguards with laser sights on their guns, defuses a hostile situation.
The Great White Hype / int_a53f784f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_a53f784f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_a53f784f
The Great White Hype / int_a5e0c01	type	As Himself
The Great White Hype / int_a5e0c01	comment	As Himself: A few figures who were connected to real life boxing show up essentially playing fictional version of themselves. The most prominent is probably Bert Sugar, a longtime boxing journalist and historian known among fans for his trademark appearance, (including always wearing a fedora and holding an unlit cigar) who plays a boxing journalist who always wears a fedora and who protests the absurdity of the fight and the way Sultan hypes it on a number of occasions.
The Great White Hype / int_a5e0c01	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_a5e0c01	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_a5e0c01
The Great White Hype / int_a70223	type	Karma Houdini
The Great White Hype / int_a70223	comment	Karma Houdini: The Sultan gets his payday, gets off scott free, and gains a new fighter in the process.
The Great White Hype / int_a70223	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_a70223	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_a70223
The Great White Hype / int_a9de87d2	type	Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
The Great White Hype / int_a9de87d2	comment	Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Conklin is a ditzy, not especially bright guy who is frequently overly naive and out of his depth. (And one press conference where a doctor talks about the medical records of Conklin and Roper establishes that Conklin has at least some brain damage.) However, he does still have at least some legitimate fighting ability, best shown when Marvin Shabazz tries to crash one of Conklin's press conferences and Conklin lays him out with one punch. That's the point where the film's public (and Mitchell Kane) start to think Conklin has a real shot.
The Great White Hype / int_a9de87d2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_a9de87d2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_a9de87d2
The Great White Hype / int_ab031997	type	Underdogs Never Lose
The Great White Hype / int_ab031997	comment	Underdogs Never Lose: Conklin is played up as this bright and promising rookie who could take down the heavyweight champion. He even scores a good hit in the fight. Then said heavyweight champion gets serious.
The Great White Hype / int_ab031997	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_ab031997	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_ab031997
The Great White Hype / int_af3ea0e3	type	Faceâ€“Heel Turn
The Great White Hype / int_af3ea0e3	comment	Face–Heel Turn: Mitchell Kane sells out his documentary team and becomes (for awhile) Sultan's right hand man. That swine.
The Great White Hype / int_af3ea0e3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_af3ea0e3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_af3ea0e3
The Great White Hype / int_af696bef	type	Fish out of Water
The Great White Hype / int_af696bef	comment	Fish out of Water: Conklin is a dim witted hero utterly out of his depth in the cynical, manipulative, and exploitive world of boxing. In fact he can't even comprehend how bad the situation around him really is, and by the end after he's been knocked out by Roper he's a broken man who just wants to go home.
The Great White Hype / int_af696bef	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_af696bef	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_af696bef
The Great White Hype / int_b032e4ed	type	Ms. Fanservice
The Great White Hype / int_b032e4ed	comment	Ms. Fanservice: For a film about boxing's excess and corruption, you can bet that there are more than a few women here just to look attractive: Bambi. Ooh La La. The Playboy Bunnies for Terry's photoshoot. The female fans who increase in number for each of Terry's press conferences.
The Great White Hype / int_b032e4ed	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_b032e4ed	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_b032e4ed
The Great White Hype / int_b4fb830c	type	Smarter Than You Look
The Great White Hype / int_b4fb830c	comment	Smarter Than You Look: Roper, despite his violent trade, is no fool. He's much more clever and shrewd than most people judge. He can instantly tell that Sultan has bad news and is trying to butter him up after the first fight of the film because Sultan is laying on the friendship and brotherhood talk too thick for it to be anything else.
The Great White Hype / int_b4fb830c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_b4fb830c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_b4fb830c
The Great White Hype / int_bc00493f	type	Precision F-Strike
The Great White Hype / int_bc00493f	comment	Precision F-Strike: While swearing happens constantly in this movie, there's at least one case where a swear is just perfectly timed. When Julio is initially reluctant to rank Conklin in the Top 10, so Sultan asks what Julio wants as a bribe. When Julio initially doesn't go for money, sex, or drugs, Sultan asks if Julio wants power. Julio quickly agrees, saying power is what he really wants. Sultan responds with cold Death Glare and a calm "Fuck you." The intimidated Julio quickly backs down and decides that money, sex, and drugs are good enough after all.
The Great White Hype / int_bc00493f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_bc00493f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_bc00493f
The Great White Hype / int_c32ff031	type	Xanatos Gambit
The Great White Hype / int_c32ff031	comment	Xanatos Gambit: Sol talking Mitchell into taking a shot at displacing Sultan is a win-win for him. If Mitchell wins he gets his old job back in the new regime, and if Mitchell loses he possibly gets his job back under under Sultan but definitely gets revenge on his replacement.
The Great White Hype / int_c32ff031	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_c32ff031	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_c32ff031
The Great White Hype / int_c3c18143	type	Hope Spot
The Great White Hype / int_c3c18143	comment	Hope Spot: By the time of the fight Roper is badly out of shape and blatantly doesn't care, while Conklin has been training hard and thinks this is his big shot. After an exchange of blows, Conklin lands a big punch that causes Roper to stagger into the ropes in slow motion... and then the film kicks back to normal speed, it turns out that Roper isn't meaningfully hurt, he's just mad that he just got made to look bad on TV. Roper quickly gets serious and the fight is over mere seconds later.
The Great White Hype / int_c3c18143	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_c3c18143	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_c3c18143
The Great White Hype / int_cc427069	type	Hard Work Hardly Works
The Great White Hype / int_cc427069	comment	Hard Work Hardly Works: The challenger trains hard and also has lots of moral support and fans backing him. Meanwhile the undefeated champion lets himself get fat and hardly trains as a sign of his contempt for the challenger. During the main event, the challenger lands one good punch, before getting knocked out by an angry, overweight champion.
The Great White Hype / int_cc427069	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_cc427069	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_cc427069
The Great White Hype / int_d48a141b	type	Fake Irish
The Great White Hype / int_d48a141b	comment	Fake Irish: In-universe example. Despite his very Irish name Terry Conklin is not Irish at all, but Sultan claims he is in promotions so that he can play the race card more blatantly. Amusingly Terry's trainer holds to older ideas of race and mentions that as far as he's concerned being Irish means Terry isn't actually white.
The Great White Hype / int_d48a141b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_d48a141b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_d48a141b
The Great White Hype / int_d52d28b6	type	Hypocrite
The Great White Hype / int_d52d28b6	comment	Hypocrite: Kane postures that he's a crusading journalist/documentary filmmaker, but Sultan quickly figures out that he's just after a payday and is trying to get famous off an expose of a famous figure. While he mostly comes off as incredibly dumb but goodhearted, the film frequently shows that Conklin is something of a poser instead of the goody two shoes he wants to be. We're introduced to him singing about how he doesn't need to feed his ego on stage in front of fans that Conklin gladly shows off for. Backstage, the supposed Buddhist is presented with several groupies and picks one to have sex with. Conklin decries racism but ignores the outbursts from his viciously racist trainer Johnny Windsor and is willing to hype the fight using footage from sparring bouts where Conklin wears a shirt with the Confederate flag and beats on a black sparring partners. During one interview he speaks with disgust of how Las Vegas uses and exploits women but it's pointed out that he literally just posed on the cover of Playboy magazine, which doesn't exactly have a squeaky clean reputation when it comes to exploiting women. (And again, the whole things with the groupies from his rock performances.)
The Great White Hype / int_d52d28b6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_d52d28b6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_d52d28b6
The Great White Hype / int_d5dfb30a	type	Professional Butt-Kisser
The Great White Hype / int_d5dfb30a	comment	Professional Butt-Kisser: The film is full of them, just as in real life many such groupies and hangers on can be found around fighters and promoters. Sultan and Roper both have small squads of such figures.
The Great White Hype / int_d5dfb30a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_d5dfb30a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_d5dfb30a
The Great White Hype / int_d779d7a5	type	Oh No You Didn't
The Great White Hype / int_d779d7a5	comment	Oh No You Didn't: Mitchell really should not have said “My brother, I'm a man of peace” to the angry black man whose view of the fight he was blocking.
The Great White Hype / int_d779d7a5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_d779d7a5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_d779d7a5
The Great White Hype / int_e2cbeee9	type	Gangsta Style
The Great White Hype / int_e2cbeee9	comment	Gangsta Style: Shaabazz, Hassan and two Mooks ambush Sultan and co at Sultan's mansion brandishing guns horizontally. Cue lots and lots of pretty red lights focusing on Hassan. Even some of Sultan's bodyguards, who are presumably properly trained, are guilty of this.
The Great White Hype / int_e2cbeee9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_e2cbeee9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_e2cbeee9
The Great White Hype / int_e563bf09	type	Insistent Terminology
The Great White Hype / int_e563bf09	comment	Insistent Terminology: "It's Merlot"
The Great White Hype / int_e563bf09	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_e563bf09	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_e563bf09
The Great White Hype / int_e624f0e8	type	Suspiciously Specific Denial
The Great White Hype / int_e624f0e8	comment	Suspiciously Specific Denial: Invoked in-universe by being really blatant about it. Sultan's opening gambit when announcing the fight is the "Is it Hype, or is it Hope?" tagline. He also repeatedly exploits the race angle by denying that he's exploiting the race angle.
The Great White Hype / int_e624f0e8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_e624f0e8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_e624f0e8
The Great White Hype / int_e784bb8c	type	Accidental Truth
The Great White Hype / int_e784bb8c	comment	Accidental Truth: As part of hyping the bout, at one point Mitchell "reads" a blank piece of paper that he claims is a fan letter to Conklin. The "fan letter" is from a young disabled boy who is inspired by Conklin and thinks if Conklin can do the impossible and win, maybe the boy can do the impossible and walk again. While the whole thing is fake, during the night of the fight a young boy in a wheelchair is seen rooting for Conklin, and is crushed when Conklin loses.
The Great White Hype / int_e784bb8c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_e784bb8c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_e784bb8c
The Great White Hype / int_e993da98	type	Equal-Opportunity Evil
The Great White Hype / int_e993da98	comment	Equal-Opportunity Evil: Sultan's inner circle of allies, advisors, and employees is rather color blind. Also, unlike some of his associates, who want to keep Bambi relegated to Eye Candy status and shoot down her ideas and suggestions in a misogynistic way, Sultan recognizes her good ideas and promptly promotes her within his organization.
The Great White Hype / int_e993da98	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_e993da98	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_e993da98
The Great White Hype / int_f9bc2937	type	Laser Sight
The Great White Hype / int_f9bc2937	comment	Laser Sight: Shaabazz and Hassan try to ambush Sultan at his mansion but the Sultan has many bodyguards, all very big men, all with guns and all with Laser Sights. Hassan becomes much more willing to negotiate when the little red dots all congregate on his crotch.
The Great White Hype / int_f9bc2937	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_f9bc2937	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_f9bc2937
The Great White Hype / int_ffad4e9f	type	Shown Their Work
The Great White Hype / int_ffad4e9f	comment	Shown Their Work: Real fight footage is shown when Sultan is trying to find a white challenger, complete with details about the fighters seen. Other real facts about boxing are referenced, most importantly the record breaking box office of the Holmes vs Cooney fight.
The Great White Hype / int_ffad4e9f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_ffad4e9f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_ffad4e9f
The Great White Hype / int_name	type	ItemName
The Great White Hype / int_name	comment
The Great White Hype / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
The Great White Hype / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	The Great White Hype / int_name
The Great White Hype / int_name	itemName	The Great White Hype

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The Great White Hype	hasFeature	African-American Media / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Appeal to Familial Wisdom / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Black Boxer Stereotype / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Chronic Backstabbing Disorder / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Coitus Uninterruptus / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Fake Irish / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Films of 1995â€“1999 / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Formerly Fit / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Freudian Threat / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Gangsta Style / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Laser Sight / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Mean Boss / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Newscaster Cameo / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Oh No You Didn't / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Sinister Minister / int_3d093919
The Great White Hype	hasFeature	Underdogs Never Lose / int_3d093919

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.