GLOVES OFF Ryan cuts the cute stuff to play Kallen

Meg Ryan: Avik Gilboa/WireImage.com

Against the Ropes

REAL PERSON Rock journalist-turned-boxing manager Jackie Kallen

PLAYED BY Meg Ryan

THE DISH Kallen had one big strike against her when she decided to become a boxing manager: She's a woman. Fighting prejudice and sleazebags, Kallen beats the odds, guiding prizefighters to greatness.

THE REALITY According to producer Robert Cort, the movie's boxer Luther Shaw (Omar Epps) is a composite of several of Kallen's prize fighters, including James Toney, Bronco McKart, and Thomas Hearns. Sexist promoter Sam LaSalle (Tony Shalhoub) is also a melange of men Kallen confronted in real life. Though the characters may not be real, many of the on-screen events are. ''She had to fight tooth and nail to be taken seriously,'' says producer Robert Cort. ''There were a lot of hard feelings, and we've been faithful to that real-life friction, even if the details are a little different.''

WHAT YOU WON'T SEE According to the Associated Press, police say that after Toney (who played Joe Frazier in ''Ali'') lost the IBF Super Middleweight Championship in 1994, he threatened to kill Kallen. No formal complaint was ever filed. The two are now on good terms.

WHAT MAKES THE CUT Expect one edge-of-your-seat boxing scene, and a gritty performance from reformed cutie pie Meg Ryan.