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Tyson | 2009 | R | - 4.5.6
Documentary about Mike Tyson, in his own words. He talks about his childhood, about being beaten up and humiliated as a kid and how boxing became an escape, as well as a sort of redemption. He also talks about mistreating women, although he denies being a rapist, and bouts with manic depression. Directed by James Toback. [1:30]
SEX/NUDITY 4 - A man talks about following a woman to the bathroom at a party and performing oral sex on her. A man talks abut having "tremendous amounts of sexual activity." A man talks about becoming infected with a sexually transmitted disease. A man talks about an insatiable desire for women and wanting to conquer them. A man talks about wanting to dominate women sexually and ravish them. A man talks about being married and being unfaithful to his wife on numerous occasions. A man talks about abstinence. A man talks about being too young to marry.
► We see photos of a man with many different women and some are wearing skimpy outfits that reveal cleavage, bare abdomens and backs. A woman on a TV show is shown wearing a low-cut dress that reveals cleavage and the top of her bra and she moves seductively toward a man.
► A man kisses a teenage girl on the cheek. We see photos of a husband and his wife hugging.
VIOLENCE/GORE 5 - There are many boxing matches shown where heavy punches land and boxers are knocked to the mat -- several that show bloodied faces and mouths. During one boxing match one boxer bites the ears of the other boxer (we see blood on his ear and neck and a piece of the ear appears to be missing).
► After a fight that is ended, one boxer tries to get to the other fighter and many men struggle to hold him back.
► We see people carrying a coffin at a funeral procession.
► We hear that a man was convicted on rape charges and served three and a half years in prison. A man says of another fighter, "I want to eat his children." A woman talks about her fear of physical and verbal abuse from her husband. A man talks about attacking another man who was taking advantage of him. A man talks about beating a boy up when he was a child and how that changed his life. A man talks about raising pigeons as a boy and that another boy once killed one of his pigeons by pulling its head off. A man talks about being bullied as a child and beaten up. A man talks about most of the people he hang around with when he was young being dead, or strung out or in jail. A man talks about robbing drug dealers when he was a teen. A man talks about being robbed as a child by people with guns. A man talks about a woman throwing hot chocolate in his face and burning him when he was 12 years old. A man talks about his friend and coach dying and that he was devastated. A man says, "My job was to hurt people." A man talks about men in prison fighting and using their own feces to throw at people. A man talks about prison conditions and isolation. A man remembers that he was wrongfully accused of a crime when he was 12 years old and that he went to a detention center. A man talks about always being sick as a child and that he has lung and breathing problems. A man talks about "dying when you no longer have the motivation to live." A man talks about the difference between fighting in the street and fighting in a boxing ring and that a fight in the street is deadly or they'll come back at you with a gun. A man says, "Fighting is spiritual." A man talks about people taking advantage of him.
LANGUAGE 6 - About 11 F-words and its derivatives, 8 sexual references, 8 scatological terms, 5 anatomical terms, 8 mild obscenities, 2 derogatory terms for homosexuals, name-calling ("little white man," crazy, pig, swine, jerk, wretched, stupid, slimy, reptilian, trash, scum, "bad man").
SUBSTANCE USE - A man talks about using marijuana and cocaine, a man talks about becoming an addict to fight depression, and a man talks about smoking marijuana and drinking liquor.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Bullying, loneliness, fear of being bullied, rape, manic depression, bi-polar disease, humiliation, rage, prostitutes, spousal abuse, promiscuity, fame, vulnerability, boxing, fighting, image, goals, adoration, character, loyalty, friendship, sexually transmitted disease, paranoia, brutality, confidence, discipline, fear of altercations, abstinence, pride, intimidation, marriage, divorce, infidelity, redemption, extremism, living recklessly, fatherhood.
MESSAGE - Mike Tyson became a violent man and a brutal boxer because he was bullied and humiliated as a kid.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
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Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.
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