The highest-rated and most acclaimed movie about legendary boxer Muhammad Ali is Michael Mann’s 2001 film Ali, starring Will Smith. It is currently sitting at 65% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. While the film was met with mixed reviews, the praise for Will Smith’s portrayal of the icon was almost unanimously positive. However, Will Smith was not the first to play Muhammad Ali; that honor goes to Ali, who appeared in the 1977 movie The Greatest.

We will look at the movie, which too many exist as a curiosity, and see what it was like to see Ali step into the role of playing himself. We will also discuss whether The Greatest is worth watching and where to find it.

The Greatest Plot and Cast

The Greatest follows Muhammad Ali’s life from winning a gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics under the name Cassius Clay to his famous “Rumble in the Jungle” against George Foreman, where he won the Heavyweight title. The movie also explores the racial tension that Ali faced throughout his career, his embrace of Islam through his friendship with Malcolm X, and the legal hardships he faced in deciding to refuse to be drafted into the army to fight in Vietnam. The movie is based on Ali’s autobiographical novel, “The Greatest: My Own Story.”

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The Greatest was directed by Tom Gries and Monte Hellman, both of whom would have productive but unremarkable careers; Tom Grie’s best-known work comes via the 1967 Western Will Penny. The biopic was aided by a strong supporting cast, including veteran actors like Ernest Borgnine, John Marley, Robert Duvall, and James Earl Jones, having minor roles. Chip McAllister played a young Muhammad Ali and is his only performance of note, while the charming Annazette Chase, of Truck Turner and The Mack fame, as Ali’s romantic interest. However, the biggest name and greatest draw of The Greatest was Muhammad Ali playing himself.

What Was It Like for Muhammad Ali To Play Himself

The Greatest would not mark the first or last time that Muhammad Ali would act in a movie, having a bit part in the 1962 film Requiem for a Heavyweight and a starring role in the 1979 made-for-TV movie Freedom Road alongside screen and music icon Kris Kristofferson. However, playing himself in The Greatest is his most notable role on screen for several reasons. Notably, Ali playing himself in the biopic allowed him to bring his lived experience onto the screen in a dramatic capacity. He is also one of the few to do such, with only a few notable films taking the same approach:

The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) traces the barrier-breaking career of the first black major league baseball player where Jackie Robinson played himself. To Hell and Back (1955) Audie Murphy, who would become the most decorated soldier in WW2, transitioned to acting after his return, and this biopic of his time during the war was well received with him in the lead role. The Ann Jillian Story (1988) The American actress and singer Ann Jillian played herself in a depiction of her battle with cancer. Private Parts (1997) saw the then shock jock radio star Howard Stern reenact his outrageous career that had made him a household name. The 15:17 to Paris (2018) saw the three Americans — Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, and Spencer Stone — who stopped a 2015 terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train reenact their act of bravery for the movie.

Moreover, The Greatest offered a unique window into the life of one of sports’ great champions, embracing his loud and cocksure personality; the famous “Louisville Lip” was certainly on display and gave the masses a more personable view of Ali. Ever a showman, Ali stepping into the role may have been met with a mixed reception, and he never really spoke expressively about his acting roles or aspirations. Still, taking that step into something new and getting his voice out there was, undeniably, on-brand for the type of person Ali was.

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Should I Watch The Greatest, and Where Can I Stream It?
Columbia Pictures

Muhammad Ali is an icon. His personal life story is a wonderful mix of showmanship, athletic prowess, and willful defiance against the status quo. Notably, the movie does a sensational job of capturing the racial inequality and hypocrisy of the era. This boxer’s legacy and seeing him as the one to tell his story makes The Greatest worth watching, especially when backed by a strong supporting cast.

However, Ali’s natural charisma and the gift of gab do not work as well on the screen, and the movie adds little to Ali’s legacy (cited by those giving it a negative review, The Greatest offers a “hagiographical account” of Ali’s various exploits). Moreover, the movie uses archival footage for fights, which is largely ineffective in telling the story of Ali from an engaging cinematic perspective.

The novel on which the movie is based, “The Greatest: My Own Story,” offers a clearer timeline and insight into how Ali saw himself during the period than the movie; you can still buy a physical copy or an audiobook of the autobiography on Amazon. Still, The Greatest is certainly unique in casting an actual athlete to play himself in a biopic, and fans of Muhammad Ali will appreciate seeing the icon in a different light as an actor. The Greatest is available to rent on Apple TV, Prime, or YouTube. Those wanting to check out the Will Smith-led biopic of Muhammad Ali can stream Ali on Hulu or MGM+.