Fighting Tommy Riley (2004) User Reviews

Liked it in Spite of Itself

[ekeby · 6/10 · 6 November 2006]

I wouldn't have watched this, except that I'm working my way through gay cinema. I find boxing absolutely THE lowest form of entertainment. I understand that many people like watching fights and fight movies but for me that's just a sad commentary on the human condition.

So, while this was on I had one eye on a magazine for the first third or so. By midpoint, I got interested and stopped reading the magazine. By three-quarters in, I was totally involved.

I thought the performances were all good. I was conscious of the score reinforcing the mood maybe a little too much. I liked this movie, even though I generally have little respect for the genre. I could appreciate Million Dollar Baby, but I didn't particularly like it. This movie I liked. That probably has more to do with my being gay than anything else.

Gods and Boxers

[rube2424 · 7/10 · 2 August 2005]

In theme and execution, Fighting Tommy Riley owes less to Rocky and more to Gods and Monsters. I know that there are many thematic differences between the two films, but there are enough similarities to call attention to them. In Riley, written by and starring J.P.Davis, once again an aging homosexual takes a straight, young uneducated hunk under his wing. Here, as in Monsters, the younger man is at first repulsed by his mentor's sexual predilections and then, through frustration, confusion and a feeling of responsibility, offers himself to the older man. Riley, a well meaning, if predictable film, even ends as Monsters does with the older man committing suicide and the younger man finding his way back to his girlfriend. One main difference between the two films is that Gods works on every level from start to finish, while Riley,though laced through with some touching moments and some good dialog, spends too much of its time revisiting the same boxing clichés we have seen forever.

I would like to see more from J.P. Davis as a writer as there is certainly promise there. Fighting Tommy Riley is far from a bad movie. It's just not good enough to be able to recommend with no reservations.

Fighting My Own Preconceptions

[gweatherford · 7/10 · 6 August 2005]

It's all been done before, more or less. The production values were pretty low on the spectrum. The actor playing the manager was so hyped that I was almost certain to be in for the letdown I felt. The ending, to me, felt a bit unfair to one character's integrity.

It isn't anything to write home about, plot-wise. Washed up boxer/manager turned English teacher "discovers" angry, washed-up boxer and former Olympic hopeful. Each has their demons. Each needs each other. Both start to blossom until circumstances test them both professionally and emotionally. Sound familiar? Adding a few doses of character study and melodrama to an old mix does not make it any less familiar (and yellowing with age).

I'm waiting, truth be told, for a new kind of boxing movie to emerge. The variations on Stallone have so little left to tweak out; and even though I liked both this movie and Clint Eastwood's recent foray into the genre, the attempt of each to manipulate and personalize the genre feels contrived, often forced, and derivative. Even the one part of this movie that seems significantly different, that the manager is highly literate and even poetic, somehow seems a bit stilted in the overall course of the film.

Still, the movie has some real power, and even some real surprise. JP Davis (and maybe I am saying this because he is exceptionally sexy) has a real smoldering star quality about his performance, as well as a few beautifully touching choices as an actor. His reaction to some darker developments in the story, both as character and as actor, seem just subtle and nuanced enough to be believable, wrenching and even quietly surprising. After viewing the film, I also realized that one part of the usual formula had a bit of a shift in this film: while the main character certainly has his clichéd meteoric rise in rank, there are moments where he actually wins fights but shows bad form and is anything but coveted in the mainstream boxing circles. Most boxing films seem to make greatness in the sport all about winning, knocking people out regardless of form and execution, while this one makes a few very small steps to point out that a win is not all that is being looked at in championship fighting.

Overall, I had a good feeling from the movie and would recommend it. It left me thinking, ad I always appreciate that in a film. I wish the manager had been less about pretty words and trite mantras, however. I wish that there had been an ending that was a little less manipulative. I still cannot deny that I was moved and even quite thrown back by the writer/star whom I had never heard of, and whom I believe may be a force to reckon with if the right people find him.

J.P. Davis wrote a compelling human script

[ulefk · 9 January 2006]

It's true that a boxing movie theme can sometimes be a trap. You never know what to expect and in the most of the cases you end the movie with a huge feel of disappointment. I had this movie with me for quite a few time, on my "to watch" list but always pushing him back for several reasons, and the biggest one was something called "Million Dollar Baby"…need to say more? Well time passed and one night I decided to give it a try, and I just can say that I was knocked out by it. Everything from the beginning to end just fall into the right places, and especially I was impressed with the fact that dealing with a theme like this you can easily fall into common places, situations, dialog's and characters. J.P. Davis wrote a compelling human script, much more beyond that any other boxing movie that I ever saw, with the exception of the brilliant "Million Dollar Baby". In fact, boxing sequences you have few, they exist but on a far dimension. The true battle here it's other; loneliness, redemption, forbidden love, shattered dreams, commitment and honor are themes that J.P. unbelievable well explores on his own script. The performances are amazing, and Eddie Jones just throws a show. In my opinion the fact that it's a very low budget production, less than half of million, helps a lot on the way that the movie portraits reality and also the way that he gets under your skin. Shoot on digital, the rudeness and cruelty of the video, make you smell the pictures on the screen, and other factor is the absence of spectacular shoots (crowds watching the fights, technical sequences) which makes you only care about the main characters and the way that they fight and act between themselves. Well done J.P. can't wait to see what comes next.

I don't know yet.

[cwilson-46 · 7/10 · 20 August 2007]

To be honest, I came in at the middle of this film. but the part I didn't come into was pretty good.

I really have to see the entire film to really give an honest opinion.

There are so many different reviews on this site - it's just crazy.

Tommy seemed to me to be jealous of the old man working with other boxers, so I don't know.

I really need to see the beginning of this film to truly understand the core of their relationship.

I did, however, feel that Tommy did love this man who was his trainer, but in today's world - of course - this type of love is taboo, which is really stupid.

This film wins... in a decision

[Havan_IronOak · 7/10 · 19 July 2009]

This film tells the star-crossed story of Tommy Riley and Marty Goldberg. Tommy is a failed Olympic-hopeful boxer. Marty Goldberg is a fifty-something ex-marine school-teacher who gave up HIS boxing aspirations due to some incident in his past. Together they are more than that.

J.P Davis both wrote and starred in this hearty mulligan stew of a movie that's one part Rocky, one part "On the Waterfront" , one part "Gods & Monsters" and one part "Cock & Bull Story." As with any good stew there are also other flavors that we almost recognize but enjoy all the more for their ambiguity.

It's unclear by the end of the movie who loves whom more, but it is clear to see that straight Tommy Riley has a special place in his heart for the closeted homosexual that's taught him about boxing and about life.

This is an easy film to be critical of. It seems to draw from many great films and yet is not entirely comfortable in it's own skin. Yet I think it's a success as a movie. It has a clear story line, characters that we care about and the young boxer is very easy on the eye. Some will criticize the decisions that the characters make but they pretty much left me wanting to know more. Who was Marty's earlier protégé and exactly why did THEY part company? What was it that Tommy's step-father did that REALLY caused him to lose that earlier fight? Overall It's worth the time we invest in watching and pondering this film.

Coulda been a contender...

[cpjc76 · 4/10 · 16 May 2005]

What is it with Great White Hope stories? And why do so many of them have to be Irish? Fighting Tommy Riley was an attempt at a boxing film with heart. That was the first mistake. The second mistake was naming it "Fighting Tommy Riley". This whole subject is tired and hackneyed. The element of succeeding against odds is a worthy principle, but there must be a better way to do it instead of yet another "Irish" boxing story.

The story is set in LA (I think) - how many Irish boxers are there here? Why couldn't the story have been about 'Fighting Juan Gonzalez' or 'Battling Hector Lopez'? At least then there would have been an element of authenticity. I guess it just doesn't have the same ring. So we're treated to an ahistorical account of Tommy Riley and his fabulous boxing skills with no accounting for his prowess or prominently displayed physique.

After being found at a local gym by an agent and a washed up trainer and now high-school teacher with a penchant for quoting Melville, Tommy agrees to be trained by the rotund Marty. Why and how Marty is such an expert is glossed over yet Tommy accepts his wisdom and becomes his disciple. Unfortunately, it seems that Marty's weakness is not limited to self-discipline at the donut shop. His self-loathing is evident in the debris littered around his living room: empty Chinese food boxes, donut crumbs, sleeping pills...

The film tries to create a bond between trainer and boxer, as all boxing films do. But Tommy has no past; at least, we don't get much insight into his past. And yet he seems troubled. He has a very attractive girlfriend, who occasionally deigns to reprimand him for "not opening up" and "not knowing where she stands." Poor Tommy grinds out his days on the loading dock and his nights at the gym. So Marty becomes the father figure, and a jealous one at that. But he does get Tommy some fights and victories.

When Marty offers to cook for Tommy, you can sense that something is not quite right in his intentions. This is fairly early in the film, yet I found myself wishing the inevitable would not happen. Marty's "protective" instincts for Tommy lead them to an isolated cabin in the woods for a week-long training session. Ah yes, father and son, bonding in the woods: sparring, shadow boxing, rubdowns, quivering hands, and... The ride back to LA is quiet.

Tommy's wins in the ring attract the attention of a promoter with self-aggrandizing intentions (as usual). But he can get Tommy a title shot. On the condition that Marty is removed from the picture. The wholesome and principled Tommy will indignantly have none of that, but after a ride in a limo with his chick, the writing is on the wall. Marty slumps home to beat himself up and hit the bottle. Of sleeping pills.

Ultimately Marty's sacrifice was for Tommy's gain, a not-unmoving theme. But for weak dialog and one-dimensional characters, "Tommy Riley" might have had a shot. For me, the boxing film (Irish or not)needs to be grittier, the way Rocky Balboa started out in a Philadelphia Catholic hall. Otherwise, the whole theme can hung up like a pair of worn-out Everlast gloves.

One of the Sleepers of the Year: A Superb Film!

[gradyharp · 10/10 · 28 July 2005]

FIGHTING TOMMY RILEY has so many things going for it that it is amazing it didn't do well in the box office. Perhaps audiences are tired of 'boxing movies' ('Million Dollar Baby' sort of usurped that position for a while), but this is not a typical boxing movie: Fighting Tommy Riley takes risks all over the place and that is what helps make it so fine.

Written by J.P. Davis who also plays the title role, the story is less about Tommy Riley than it is about his trainer Marty Goldberg (long-established fine character actor Eddie Jones): this is not a self promoting Rocky/Sylvester Stallone story, fine as that films series was. For a first time writer and actor and directed by first time director Eddie O'Flaherty and cast with unknowns except for Eddie Jones, this film is a 'knockout' (pardon the pun).

Tommy Riley is a young and gifted boxer on the skids, disillusioned by his loss at an attempt at the Olympic trials, an unfortunate lapse of self-confidence that has destroyed his relationship with his girl Stephanie (Christina Chambers) and forced him to do menial labor just to survive. Concurrently we meet Marty Goldberg, an obese, has been trainer who left the ring because of a dark demon he harbors and has turned to teaching high school English. Marty lives with his dog Lucy in squalor, surrounded by the many books he reads and quotes, memorabilia of a ruined career, and sleeping pills. His one friend is feisty Diane Stone (Diane Taylor) who Marty salvaged some time ago from her own downward plunge. Diane is a boxing promoter looking for a client. When Marty and Diane and Tommy collide the beginning of a vigorous training life begins and each of the three gains a resurgence of self-respect.

Both Tommy and Marty carry a load of baggage demons that eventually surface and as Tommy slowly builds as a fighter ready for competition, Marty's devotion to the kid's career becomes more than professional and an unfortunate but inevitable encounter changes their path toward glory. With Diane's promotion Tommy gains the recognition of big time promoter Riley (Scot Belsky) and Tommy is torn between the promise of fame and wealth and his emotional commitment to Marty: his initial impulse to go with Riley (which is contingent on leaving Marty as a trainer) is met with resistance until Marty humbly encourages Tommy to go for his career rather than his obligation to Marty. The result of Tommy's decision tells the story of the film and to reveal it would be unfair.

Eddie Jones and JP Davis are absolutely superb is these very demanding roles. Rarely as a film about sports been influenced by the presence of sexual preferences, and Eddie Jones handles this enigmatic characteristic with extreme sensitivity and makes us all feel his anguish at the slings that life has thrown his way. And the manner in which Davis finesses both the initial advances from Jones and then gradually alters his response in understanding Jones' behavior is nothing short of miraculous acting. Director O'Flaherty has created a brilliant little film from Davis' fine script and one can only hope there will be more collaborations as excellent as this.

The cinematography (Michael Fimognari) and musical score (Lee Sanders and Tim Simonec) keep the mood of the film flowing. Bravo to all concerned not only for a fine story well done, but also for the courage to focus on sub rosa sexual themes with all the sensitivity this film represents. Highly Recommended.

Grady Harp

Terrible Sentimentality

[nycritic · 3/10 · 3 February 2007]

FIGHTING TOMMY RILEY is a movie that tries to bring up an issue but manages to corrupt it and come off stinking in its own hypocrisy. Coming off of having seen such films as Cinderella MAN, ROCKY, and MILLION-DOLLAR BABY, this one was shown on gay network LOGO and I felt the curiosity tugging at me, because (I thought) it would be interesting to see a film that touched gay issues while showcasing a plot in a masculine environment. The plot: nothing out of the ordinary. If anything, it follows Clint Eastwood's movie almost step by step from start to about two thirds, when it suddenly devolves into a complete mess tinted with shades of shrieking maudlin. (Actually, MILLION DOLLAR BABY did have a similar detour into maudlin but we're comparing fine, aged wine and this is poor man's vino.) Because, you see, there is the catch: the trainer (Eddie Jones) is gay, and the cocky fighter with the chiseled looks (J. P. Davis) is prone to gay panic and fake machismo. And in this world, the mix is as harmonious as oil and water. The problem with FIGHTING TOMMY RILEY is that it offers no resolution to the way the relation between Riley and Marty has until then progressed, and the implausibility of Tommy not being aware of a speck of gay interest coming from Marty, especially in the scene where Marty decides to massage Tommy, is ridiculous. Even more implausible is how Marty later comes off as a male (and portly) version of Martha Dobie, but the crowning achievement is how Tommy sheds not a tear at learning of Marty's fate and moves on. Because, as you see, when you become close to another person, that is exactly how you should react to their demise. And that's probably why this dreadful movie is not more known: it's a travesty.

Loved it...it AIN'T a boxing movie.

[dpcoffin · 10/10 · 28 July 2005]

Just saw this on DVD, still buzzing, forgive me if I gush a bit... AMAZING film, imo. Great fan of boxing flix, which is why I picked this up. But this is really not about boxing at all; the boxing part is just a great and compelling metaphor for the get-back-up-and-keep-on-keeping-on thing, could have been anything that justified getting these characters together in such an intense way, so it worked fine, but it's just the setting; the story is the relationship, the histories, the gifts, the consequences, the layers... totally smokes Million$Baby, I think, in so many ways. Great performances, fascinating cinematography/art-direction, like great book illustration, often, esp. in the beginning, gut-wrenchingly moving... See it!

A boxer's demons--in and out of the ring...

[moonspinner55 · 4/10 · 25 May 2008]

"Fighting Tommy Riley" is so naively scripted, and presented in such a pedantic, pedestrian manner, that I couldn't tell what the point of the picture was more than half-way into it. Grossly elongated and slower than molasses, it tells the extremely tired tale of a hot-headed young boxer, once an Olympic hopeful with coach/stepfather issues, who is taken under the wing of a burnt-out ex-coach-turned-schoolteacher; both men learn to appreciate life again through training and becoming friends, until the fighter finds out his coach is not only gay, but harbors a secret, shame-filled yen for him. Screenwriter and co-producer J.P. Davis plays the boxer, and his youthful confusion over the circumstance at hand is understandable--though I would think the kid might be a bit more street-smart than this. Eddie Jones has the showier role, seated ringside and always handy with the literary quotes and speeches about trust. The film doesn't seem to know much about the sport of boxing, and the camera is never in the right place for us to get the feel of a bout, the rush of adrenaline. Still, some of the dialogue isn't bad, and Davis' attempt to get at something intense and personal is surely commendable, yet the movie is never much more than ordinary. ** from ****

Diane tayler don't quit your day job

[boxertimes3 · 1/10 · 22 March 2006]

This film was utter garbage, the shame of it all was it had promise if it weren't for the absolutely stagnant acting by Diane Tayler. It was like she was reading cue cards the whole film. Anyone who has been to film school could spot overacting a mile away. I would say if you took her performance( and i use that word lightly)out of the film, it would be watchable. In fact the scenes with Marty and the boxer were touching in a few of them and them wham back with the phony trying to be hard assed acting. Save your time & money & go see Million dollar baby or even the Meg Ryan movie has this beat. Mrs. Tayler please do the world a favor and pick another profession!

FTR rings true

[memoore · 10/10 · 22 June 2004]

I saw the world premier of Fighting Tommy Riley at the LA Film Festival on Sunday June 20th. This is a really really good film. Eddie Jones (Marty) gives a beautifully layered performance that moved me to tears at points. Diane Tayler's "Diane Stone" gave a spark to the film. I only wish I had seen more of here character and that the relationship that she and Marty had developed more. J P Davis was good also. This film in many ways has a familiar story but it is told in a different way. I was not expecting to like a film set in the boxing world so much but this film is about love and the ties that bind us. I hope that this film gets distribution because it is a great film with some really good performances.

My eyes are still bleeding

[bbresner · 1/10 · 27 November 2006]

No joke, one of the single worst movies I've ever seen. I came on here after I finished watching this rubbish fully expecting to see horrible reviews but somehow people liked this. This movie is unquestionably atrocious, it uses boxing as a front for a 65 year old man (who has a serious problem with sleeping pills and donuts) who has a thing for his prized boxing student Tommy.

On a side note, why do all white boxers have to be Irish? Just overly trite and clichéd.

We found ourselves praying the whole manlove thing wouldn't happen, but obviously it did. There is a grand total of about 1 minute of in-ring boxing action; I'm not sure if there is a single redeeming quality of this movie. Even if they had flashed the token hot chick girlfriend's boob I wouldn't feel like I wasted the whole hour and a half. I feel like a broken man after this film, I need to go take a shot.

Even in attempting to make a commentary about social issues it was a failure. I'm shocked that people enjoy this film, it belongs in the garbage. I hope everyone associated with this "film" comes down with a serious case of bubonic plague.

Superlative Drama

[philip-1 · 10/10 · 7 January 2006]

Fighting Tommy Riley is simply one of the best Indie films I've seen. It had me glued to the screen within ten minutes. J.P. Davis is a multi-talented man. In addition to playing the title character, he wrote the screenplay and produced the movie as well. And he can act! On the surface he looks like an underwear model, like so many up and coming 20's actors, but this guy has a complete emotional vocabulary. Mainstream Hollywood should be at his doorstep. He completely inhabits Tommy Riley in a way that very few actors with the right "look" could ever hope to achieve. Casting veteran actor Eddie Jones was a coup. Jones meets Davis's intensity on every level and the two of them create a complicated and wonderful rapport. Jones, in fact, is heart breaking; a character that so often slumps into empty sentimentality is rendered with honest reality.

The film is directed superbly. The story is told clearly and directly. The gay subtext of trainer lusting after fighter is handled frankly, sincerely and with a bittersweet truth. It exposes a sad case in our society, straight or gay, that older people are denied physical love at every level.

This is a far more engrossing film than Hollywood hype favorites Cinderella Man and Million Dollar Baby. Director O'Flaherty has more talent in his pinkie than does Ron Howard and Clint Eastwood in their collective big buck bodies.

Horrible

[zacharygiefer · 1/10 · 30 September 2014]

If you want to watch a movie with fighting, DO NOT WATCH THIS. Ended abruptly and horribly and I cannot believe it was allowed to be a movie. Very bad. On the other hand, if you want to watch a story with NO fighting and maybe be a little sad, because of the story yes but also because this movie was horrible enough to make a grown man cry out of mere regret that he wasted his time watching it, this IS the movie for you! No fighting, like I said. I saw this movie rated as pretty good on a site that rates boxing and fighting movies and I was at first going to say I can't believe it got a decent score, which i still am going to say that but now I realize it should not of even been on that sight because i would under no circumstances classify a movie that has no fighting in it as a fighting or boxing movie. Very very disappointed. Watch Cinderella man instead.

Fighting Tommy Riley

[Bobbyjamesxist · 10/10 · 22 October 2005]

"Fighting Tommy Riley" is one of the absolute best movies I have ever seen. Many critics called it comparable to "Million Dollar Baby". The fact is, Hillary Swank did a phenomenal job in that one, but the prize goes to JP Davis for the better movie. I was honestly compelled throughout the entire movie, so many secrets, so much passion, love, and loyalty. This movie, I agree, was underexposed and I can only hope that everyone spreads the word about it. I would dub this a MUST SEE film. Another fact that makes this movie a complete success is that JP Davis, wrote, produced, and acted the movie. ALL of the performances were outstanding! And I do think that we will be seeing more of JP Davis as his career will soar very soon. This movie was absolutely a great film and I recommend it to everyone that asks me to tell them the name of a movie I think to be good. This is a for sure classic movie and I could see it being remade and re-released in the future, however I doubt it will be as good. As someone that wants to be an actor I must say, JP Davis acting, producing, and writing the movie is something I would aspire to do...and so should every actor. He throws the audience twists and turns and a PERFECT ending!

Beautiful in every sense of the word

[nimbleweevil · 9/10 · 4 August 2005]

I'll admit upfront that I am a world-class bawl-baby and it's not hard for a movie to make me cry. I cry when I watch a movie that's depressing, uplifting, frightening, adorable, funny, or - more than anything - clearly shot from the heart and at the heart. Therefore, it should surprise no one that Fighting Tommy Riley, which was all of the above, made me sob.

The back-cover story is not what one would call original - in fact, it sounds like a rip-off of the wonderful Million Dollar Baby. Old, washed-up second-class has-been meets young, wide-eyed, unstoppable ready-to-take-on-the-world talent and together they make the perfect team, which eventually carries them both to some kind of championship. It even has all the usual heart-of-gold character twists that we know from movies like M$B - young talent is pursued by steel-hearted bigwigs but displays unwavering loyalty to trainer, trainer becomes the parent young talent never had, and eventually, unspeakable tragedy strikes. But this old, washed-up plot has found its way to a young, unstoppable talent - writer and star J.P. Davis - and he has done some beautiful things with it.

The performances of Davis and co-star Eddie Jones are electrifying. Jones's monologue (delivered by his character, Marty Goldberg, to the frank, temperamental Tommy) about why it's wrong to judge is a gem on the level of Ellen Burstyn's monologue from Requiem for a Dream. The cabin-in-the-woods scene (those who have seen the film know exactly what I'm talking about, and those who haven't are in for a cinematic treat) is also a thing of beauty, put together in just the right way to wrench at the viewer's heart. Yet the movie manages not to preach, and this in itself is a thing of wonder - when something is told from the heart, it's hard not to get on the soapbox.

This should be the point where I say that this disturbing and, at times, extremely adult movie is not for everyone, and I agree that it will probably be lost on young children. It is for everyone else. You will fall in love with these characters, and when it turns out that they aren't (are? I actually figured out what was going on early in the movie) exactly what they seem, you, like Tommy Riley, will find it very hard to abandon them.

The gentle, up-close-and-personal style of cinematography was well-deserving of this award it's already won, and Eddie O'Flaherty's direction is the work of a man who knows what he wants and how to get it. The ending is a little hokey, but not so much that it ruins what has already come.

I once heard someone say that all boxing movies are great. Excluding all of the ridiculous Rocky sequels, I have to agree with him, though I'm not sure this is so much a boxing movie as a movie about men - REAL men, not great epic-hero conquerers. As a result, you will connect with Tommy and Marty in a way you never connected with William Wallace, Maximus, and Alexander, and you won't be forgetting it soon.

Grade: A-.

Superb Drama with Excellent Filming/Directing Techniques

[tgrills · 10/10 · 26 May 2006]

This is a superlative movie and I'll try to put any spoilage at the end. There are multiple themes interwoven in the script. The first and most important theme is that of redemption and of course the second chance. Eddie Jones is the trainer who is an educator, and to some extent, a rescuer of damaged souls. One of the surprises is that he needs rescuing himself. While set in a framework of a traditional fight movie, it does have something extra. If you haven't yet had the privilege of seeing this flick, stop reading here. I would say any spoiler begins here: I don't generally go in for the gay experience in movies as it doesn't interest me as a dramatic theme or personally. Just a matter of personal taste. I don't give a damn about orientation except as it relates to fairness and decency to other people. It does here. There is a strong theme of love and trust here with the gay's place in a "manly" sport. It is this tension that provides so much drama and is so important to us all when we consider how we treat each other.

Jones' character has an almost Christlike ability to repair another's broken spirit and it is his hubris (for the purpose of the drama) that his orientation has interfered with both his career as boxer and trainer, as well as his own sense of worth. His self-sacrifice for his protégé elevates this drama and gives it much of its specialness.

The theme of love and self-worth are masterfully handled here. The secondary theme that love transcends orientation - that it should not matter - is illustrated well here. One's human obligations trump one's personal tastes somehow. I loved the trainer's sense of caring and him personally, and it is one of the triumphs of this flick that Tommy Riley does too, in his own hetero way. More importantly, trust, character, and humane values are validated here as well.

I was also intrigued by the art and techniques of using facial aspect to show different stages and struggles in character development. The ways the director and cinematographer use the visual effects of contrast in facial definition are notable. From the somewhat maniacal face of lust and personal struggle in the face of the trainer at one point, to the final difference we see in Tommy's face itself at the end: more mature, seasoned, and somehow stronger for the sense of love, loss, and yet redemption, seen in his visage. A most striking way of making one's point. I give this film both my thumbs up.

The Star of the Movie Isn't Tommy Riley

[Legion · 9/10 · 4 August 2005]

The title of the film may be "Fighting Tommy Riley", but the star is actually Tommy's coach Marty, played by the phenomenal Eddie Jones. Yes, this is a boxing movie, but it's also a movie about a personal struggle to remain professional and go beyond one's desires to do the right thing.

At the start of the film, we're introduced to the two main characters as each of them are struggling to find their place in the world. It's when the two are brought together that they find themselves improving their situations. Tommy becomes a boxer again, and begins winning. Marty finds someone to focus on, something to get himself out of bed for.

Now here's the spoiler. Marty's got a past with another boxer who he made a pass at. That boxer outed Marty, and Marty's reputation in the boxing world was shot. That's why he went off to become a teacher. Throughout this film, Marty's struggling against his desires for Tommy which culminates in an incident that reveals Marty's tortured side to Tommy, who tries to put it behind him, but is never able to until the end of the film.

Other reviewers are glossing over this key plot point of the film and saying that it never achieves anything similar to a "Rocky" or "Cinderella Man". Those reviewers are missing the point. The film isn't about Tommy Riley becoming a fighter. It's about fighting the desire for Tommy Riley, even if it means you have to force him to hate you so that he can truly achieve that which he deserves.

This is strong material, and Eddie Jones steps up to the plate and delivers without going over the top. JP Davis proved himself capable as both a writer and an actor. And the supporting actresses, Christina Chambers and Diane M. Taylor, made the most of the limited scenes and dialogue they were given.

An Overlooked Gem!

[cvonfresin-1 · 10/10 · 11 February 2007]

Found this film for $5.50 in a bin of hundreds of DVDs in Walmart who tried to get rid of them because they did not sell well. Never even heard of this film before. What a bargain find and what a surprise. By the cover you think that it is just another so so boxing film with a muscular stud on it. The big surprise was the excellent acting of the cast, the sensitive and deep script written by J.P. Davis and the top flight direction of Eddie O'Flaherty who managed to top off this film with only a $200,000 budget. Unfortunately this film was overlooked by the Academy and fell between the cracks since it did not have any big bankable commercial names in it. The soundtrack and photography was also top notch. Apparently there was not enough money left to include any kind of Bonuses or Subtitles on the DVD. As said by another reviewer, Hollywood should be waiting on the doorstep of J.P. Davis who still hasn't done much in films. Don't miss this film even if you are not a boxing fan, which I am not.

Claudio von Fresin

Very good film about boxing and homophobia

[pyotr-3 · 10/10 · 1 January 2007]

This film is a very touching Rocky-like story with a twist that comes up far more often than people think, and it's about time it was finally represented in a film.

Tommy is a young boxer with potential who is nurtured by an elderly boxing manager who happens to be gay. Together, they make a great boxing team, and Tommy thrives. In the end, Tommy is offered a million dollars to go with a new management company - and if he takes this offer he must leave behind his old manager, the man who helped to make him into the man he became.

The film could have been about anti-Jewish prejudice or anti-black prejudice or anti-Moslem prejudice or any other kind of foolish prejudice. But today the one remaining prejudice that rules the sports world is the foolish prejudice against gay athletes and coaches. Films like this may help people to put a face on this injustice, and see how absurd and counterproductive it is.

I won't tell how the film ends, except to say that it is realistic. The performances in "Fighting Tommy Riley" are outstanding. Though probably made with a small budget, this film feels as big and as real as its important subject matter.

An exceptionally well made indie film

[will-hartman · 10/10 · 23 January 2007]

I have seen many indie feature films in my years on the festival circuit. Usually they suffer from that other variation of the indie 'rule of three'--the one that says you'll get two of the following but never all three: high production value, a good story, quality performances. Well this film to my surprise and pleasure does have all three. I was hooked almost from the outset by the look and feel of the film--a tale of gritty survival on the mean streets of the prize-fighting circuit--and the performance of the main character who managed to take the stereotypical boxer against the world and add a measure of depth and emotion that was different from other similar genre constructed characters. The direction was stellar, both in the technical aspects of camera movement and in the subtle emotional cues that sent the story spinning in an unexpected, and refreshing, direction. The writing and acting are very solid, and Eddie O'Flaherty is a director with a very bright future. I had the pleasure to meet him in a directing class, which is how I came to see his film in the first place, and I was taken not only with his natural ability to paint pictures with words and description, but his charming, humble personality. If you stumble across this film in the video store, do yourself a favor, rent it and sit down and watch it. You will be impressed with the production value (I have an idea of the actual budget, but if you told me this cost over 1 million, I wouldn't doubt it for a second), the cinematography and the lush feel of a big budget film. The only reason you don't already know of this film is because of the unfortunate timing of it's release--sandwiched between Cinderella Man and that little film about female boxers starring Clint Eastwood. Sadly, those two films covered much of the ground this film does, though the story contained here is quite original and will take you on a second act turn of events you do not expect. The filmmakers should be very proud of the work done here and I look forward to seeing what is next on the horizon for Mr. O'Flaherty.