Watch The Main Event

The Main Event is a sports comedy film directed by Howard Zieff and released in 1979. It stars Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, and Paul Sand. The story revolves around a woman named Hillary Kramer (Streisand) who inherits a boxing gym after her father's death. However, the gym is in financial trouble and she must find a way to save it. One day, she comes across a boxer named Eddie "Kid Natural" Scanlon (O'Neal) and decides to make him into a champion fighter.

The movie begins with Hillary arriving at her father's gym, which she has inherited. However, she has a lack of interest in boxing and decides to sell the gym to a man named Watson (James Gregory). Meanwhile, Eddie Scanlon is a successful Wall Street broker who has been blacklisted from the industry due to a minor infraction. He is desperate for money and comes across an ad in the newspaper about a boxing tournament with a $100,000 prize. Eddie decides to enter the tournament despite having no boxing experience.

Hillary soon realizes that the gym was her father's dream and decides to keep it. She meets Eddie at the gym and witnesses his natural talent for boxing. She decides to take Eddie under her wing and train him to become a champion fighter. This decision leads to a series of comedic moments as Hillary attempts to train Eddie in the art of boxing.

As they train, Hillary and Eddie develop a unique relationship. Eddie is initially skeptical of Hillary's boxing knowledge but eventually comes to realize her talent as a trainer. Hillary, on the other hand, grows fond of Eddie and sees him as more than just a boxer.

Their training eventually leads them to the tournament, where they must face off against professional boxers. The tournament is full of quirky characters, including a fighter who is afraid of hitting people and a group of monks who enter as a team. Hillary and Eddie's success in the tournament leads to a series of comedic mishaps and misunderstandings.

The Main Event also features a subplot involving Hillary's friend, David (Paul Sand), who is in love with her. David is the owner of a restaurant and is constantly offering to buy Hillary's gym to turn it into a parking lot. Hillary consistently turns him down, causing tension between the two friends.

Overall, The Main Event is a light-hearted and funny film that blends comedy and sports drama. Streisand and O'Neal's on-screen chemistry makes the movie enjoyable to watch, and the tournament scenes add an element of excitement to the film. The movie's soundtrack also features some great songs from Streisand, including the hit single "The Main Event/Fight."

The Main Event is a 1979 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 52 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.5.