The Main Event (1979): cast, story & where to watch
1979 · Film · ★ 5
Released in 1979, The Main Event is a comedy and romance film directed by Howard Zieff, running about 112 minutes. “A Glove Story” — that tagline sets the tone.
What it’s about. Hillary Kramer, a successful Perfume magnate, awakes one morning to find that her accountant has robbed her blind and left for South America. Going through all of her remaining assets she finds a boxer, purchased as a tax write-off. She decides to take Kid Natural, Eddie Scanlon, who is much more at home giving driving lessons, into the ring and use him as her key to riches. Eddie thinks this will only get him killed and resists.
Who’s in it. The Main Event stars Barbra Streisand as Hillary Kramer, Ryan O'Neal as Eddie "Kid Natural" Scanlon, Paul Sand as David and Whitman Mayo as Percy, among others.
How it landed. With an audience score of 5.0/10, The Main Event has proved divisive with audiences. It went on to earn $44.8M at the box office.
Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Main Event page.
If you liked it. Fans of The Main Event tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.
Frequently asked
- Where can I watch The Main Event (1979)?
- In US, The Main Event is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Google Play Movies. Availability varies by country — check our where-to-watch page for every region.
- Is The Main Event worth watching?
- The Main Event holds an audience score of 5.0 out of 10, and is a strong pick if you enjoy comedy and romance. Reactions are mixed, so it may depend on taste.
- Who stars in The Main Event?
- The Main Event stars Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Paul Sand, Whitman Mayo and Patti D'Arbanville.
- When was The Main Event released?
- The Main Event was released in 1979, with a runtime of about 112 minutes.