Somebody Up There Likes Me

Appeals to viewers who enjoy earnest boxing biographies about troubled outsiders overcoming family violence, institutional pressure, and their own destructive impulses.

Tone

tense, sentimental, uplifting

Payoff

catharsis, inspiration

Pacing

steady

Intensity

moderate

Structure

linear

Themes

redemption, family conflict, perseverance, violence, self-determination

Setting

mid-twentieth-century, working-class urban neighborhoods and boxing arenas