Undercard

by Mike McGranaghan

We all know Wanda Sykes is very funny as a stand-up comedian and talk show guest. We also know she’s funny in comedic roles, as her work on TV’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and in the movies Bad Moms and Evan Almighty prove. Can she do drama, though? Based on Undercard, the answer is a resounding “yes.” In fact, the film could put her career on a whole new path. Sykes is a revelation here.

She plays Cheryl “No Mercy” Stewart, a former boxing champ whose career - and life - hit the skids thanks to a severe alcohol problem. Now that she’s clean and sober, Cheryl wants to reconnect with Keith (Bentley Green), the adult son she abandoned as a child. He’s an up-and-coming boxer not even remotely interested in repairing family ties. Keith does, however, agree to let her train him after an unfortunate situation with his previous trainer. Meanwhile, Cheryl additionally begins a romance with tattoo artist Mariana (Roselyn Sánchez).

To be perfectly blunt, there’s nothing in Undercard we haven’t seen before. There have been countless other movies about people trying to reignite their careers after finding sobriety, and countless more about contrite parents seeking to reconcile with their estranged children. Expectedly, this particular film ends with the requisite Big Fight where everything personal and professional is on the line for Cheryl and Keith.

To be even blunter, none of that matters because the formula is executed with the kind of authenticity that transcends cliches. Director Tamika Miller homes in on the emotions of the characters, never shying away from depicting the most difficult, turbulent moments. Rather than going for fake uplift, she earns it legitimately by taking the time to truthfully develop these relationships. The set-ups themselves may be tropes but the way they’re handled oozes empathy and compassion. Miller’s screenplay, co-written with Anita M. Cal, features smart dialogue that contains insight into the nature of fractured familial bonds.

That brings us to Sykes, whose performance mixes vulnerability, regret, and just the right touch of defiance to make Cheryl a person we unreservedly root for. She nails the former fighter’s desire to be near her son, to whatever degree he’ll allow. Best of all, you forget that you’re watching a star known for comedy. Not once does Sykes do anything to slip out of character. Green nicely compliments his co-star, capturing the conflicting feelings inside Keith, who clearly wants to avoid getting hurt again despite a tiny part of him simultaneously wanting to know his mom. Veteran character actor William Standford Davis delivers excellent supporting work as Cheryl’s former trainer/longtime friend.

Undercard serves as a reminder that, as Roger Ebert used to say, it’s not what a movie is about, but how it is about it. On the surface, the story sounds routine. By focusing on the intimate details, though, it becomes heartfelt and deeply affecting.

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