Customer Reviews

Like It Is

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Much better than expected, it was. Steve Bell turned in a terrific performance as the bare-knuckle street fighter who tries to turn is life around for the better once he meets an openly gay music producer (handsome Ian Rose). It amazes me when straight actors give such top-notch performances as gay characters (Get Real, Beautiful Thing, ect) and Bell's performance is right up there. I was expecting a two-second cameo by Roger Daltrey, however, he plays a strong role in the film as the aging, rich bitchy queen of yore - he was excellent and had few zingers in his scenes. Theme wise, this film is optimistic and engaging. There's a subplot involving the creation of a '90's boy band that is just too precious - they can't dance, who knows if they can really sing and their music is very Euro-disco and teeny-bopper oriented. The lead singer of this group comes between Bell and Rose at one point in the story - could you imagine the British tabloid press getting a hold of that factoid? Director Paul Oremland gives us a film as earnest and romantic as he intends to give (the character of fighter Bell was inspired by his own experience as he explains in the DVD's featurette) and I look forward to his next projects. As for the DVD: the picture is letterboxed to 1.66:1. The video is much crisper and clearer than I was expecting - it looks very good. The sound is clean and audible. Music sequences give quite a punch and there is no background hiss to be heard. Colors are stable and natural, but I really liked the scenes in the nightclubs which were fairly vibrant without "bleeding" or "smearing". There is also an original trailer that is incorporated into the informative featurette. I especially liked the ending of the film which wisely avoids the Hollywood-ish all's well that ends well bug. Overall, recommended but try to get the DVD version of this film - the quality is pretty darn good.

"Like It Is" is an entertaining movie. While it is yet another coming out story, the performances and characters help make it more interesting than the average coming out story.

The story starts in Blackpool, England, moves to London, and returns to Blackpool for a dramatic and fulfilling finale. The main character is Craig (very appealingly played by newcomer Steve Bell), a bare knuckle fighter in Blackpool who takes on whatever jobs he can to make a living. He is gay, but isn't ready to do anything about it until he meets record company promoter Matt (Ian Rose) outside a gay bar in Blackpool where Londoner Matt was supporting one of the artists label, Paula (Dani Behr), who is also his best friend and roommate. Craig invites Matt back to his house and asks Matt to *ahem* him. However, a virgin, Craig freaks out at the pain and throws Matt out. Matt tries to offer comfort, but Craig isn't ready to accept it. Matt leaves, leaving behind his card.

Neither of the men can forget the other, and Craig finally decides he has to deal with himself and his sexuality, so he follows Matt to London. Matt takes Craig in and they begin a relationship. Craig has trouble fitting into the gay world and Paula feels jealousy towards Craig for taking her best friend's attention away from her. Added to the mix is Matt's boss Kelvin (the immensely entertaining Roger Daltry) who is very much attracted to rough trade like Craig.

This is a very appealing film with interesting characters and strong performances all around. It does fall into the general category of the "coming out" story, but the settings and the characterization keep it fresh and interesting. The script by Robert Gray and the direction by Paul Oremland are sharp. I do wish that the DVD had a director's/writer's commentary track because I would like to know more about the choices they made and why they made them.

All in all, I would recommend this film to people who enjoy "Get Real", "My Beautiful Laundrette", "Maurice", "Boyfriends", and the British "Queer as Folk (series one)".

(C)2001 Joe Edkin

I've read a number of reviews drawing comparisons, both favorable and unfavorable, between Like It Is and another British film, Beautiful Thing. While both are British and both have gay themes, they are really about different situations. While Beautiful Thing is a coming of age and coming to terms with ones sexuality story, Like It Is is a love story about two people from very different backgrounds, and the lovers just happen to be gay.

Yes, the film has its faults. Roger Daltry all but chews the scenery as he plays the over the top role of the vicious, conniving, record producer. And we're never completely sure why Paula, played by Dani Behr, is so opposed to the relationship between the two protagonists. There is also the suggestion, which I find a bit simplistic, that all boy bands are untalented media creations.

But the performances of the actors in the two lead roles more than make up for the film's shortcomings. Steve Bell is completely believable as the "tough" from Blackpool, with little experience and not much in the way of urban savvy. He plays the character of Craig in an utterly charming performance. And Ian Rose, who plays Matt, pulls off a convincing performance as a sophisticated gay urbanite so focused on his climb up the business ladder that he doesn't have time for the complications of falling in love.

Never mind that some of the complications that come up are just plot devices to keep the script moving along. Most movies have scripts with not entirely invisible machinations. Like It Is makes for an enjoyable evening and most viewers will probably want to watch it again. My only warning is that North Americans will probably have to listen very closely to understand some of the heavy accents.

I'm a straight woman and I really, really enjoyed this DVD. It's very erotic in parts (sometimes surprisingly), but I wouldn't characterize it as pornographic overall. The men are all fabulous...attractive and they act beautifully. There's no stereotypical gay behavior. This review is just kind of blah, but the movie was extremely enjoyable and good. Don't believe the awful review Amazon gave it. I have no clue where that guy was coming from.

No stereotypes here. I hate those gay films that have the obligatory handbag swinger, muscle-Mary or AIDS victim on tow. This film is so natural, and down to earth. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Steve Bell is sexy, because he is a natural; a lad on the street. He falls in love with another sexy man. Why can't this simple formula be applied more often in gay cinema? A good all round love story. Highly recommended.

Set amidst the disparate worlds of the London pop music scene and the bare knuckles boxing clubs of working-class Blackpool, Like It Is is a sexy, and at times, caustically funny tale of one youth's coming out and his first, tumultuous gay love affair. Craig (real-life boxing champ Steve Bell) is a 21-year-old Blackpooler who makes his living by fighting in illegal bare-knuckle fights. But the tough youth is also a closeted gay. He meets by chance Matt (Ian Rose), a cocky London music producer who takes Craig under his wing. The affair brings wide-eyed Steve down to the swinging gay Soho scene and into the duplicitous clutches of Matt's friends, which include Paula (Dani Behr), Matt's flatmate and an up-and-coming singer threatened by the arrival of the youth; and Kelvin (The Who's Roger Daltrey), Matt's gay and decidedly wolfish boss. Will Craig find happiness in Britain's gay Mecca or be forced back to his sordid former world? Some of the film's best moments are when it shows the tensions of being gay in a tough, macho environment; the biting indictment of shallow gay men; and the hilarious camp performance by Daltrey who sinks his toothy grin into his role with lecherous gusto.

A film depicting a gay love story between a bareknuckled fighter and a coke sniffing record producer? Who would have ever thought it would work? But it does, thanks in large part to Steve Bell, a natural in front of the camera, who steals the show as Craig Collins, a shy, working class, bare-knuckled fighter from Blackpool who chooses to reveal his, uh, less macho side to Matt, played by Ian Rose, an ambitious record and club executive, who's smitten mightily. Christopher Hargreaves, who is reminiscent of Bob Hoskins, plays Tony, Craig's older brother, and also gives a good performance.

By turns romantic, very sexy, humorous and painful, Like It Is is a much better take on the theme of a gay athelete coming out than the smaltzy, better known but much overrated Get Real, and is to be appreciated for showing the diversity of gay relationships. The unlikely ending to this unlikely love story will make you glad. Plus, it's not about high school kids, for once.

As good as it is in the good parts, I can't call this a great gay film, however, because of the inclusion of The Big Name Star, Roger Daltrey of the Who, included, I suppose, in the hopes his name on the marquee would draw crowds, but who only mugs his way through the most unlikeable role in the film, distracting attention from the real stars and the real story.

Still, I highly recommend Like It Is.

The storyline of a up and coming music and club director and a small time boxer is very unique, and the film doesn't suffer from stereotyping that is found in many American gay flicks. The acting is acceptable, and Roger Daltrey does a great job as the bitchy, older queen music executive. One complaint is with the ending....too quick and leaves one wondering "Now what?" Overall, this movie is worth the time to watch.

A likeable and capable cast in a well-made movie.
An unlikely relationship develops between an ambitious music promoter and an amateur boxer who is struggling to come to terms with his being gay
Steve Bell, (A real life title-holding boxer,) is a real find, a relatively inexperienced actor with a natural talent and a dynamic screen presence.
Ian Rose also excels in the other lead role.
Roger Daltrey gives a standout performance as a sleazy record producer.
Well written, sensitively acted and directed, the movie is one not to miss!

A gritty little film about a bare-knuckles fighting champion coming to terms with his sexuality. This little indie feels and becomes, something far more than a routine gay love story with big, impressive performances from everyone involved.

Roger Daltry is creepy and a delicious hoot as a gay, aging, vain, bitter, music producer trying to retain the illusion of youth and beauty. It may be his best acting performance yet.

As streetfighter, Craig, Steve Bell is simply terrific, believably combining into a cohesive entity numerous seemingly disparate qualities: a tough street urchin exterior, a desire for a better life, a realist of his capabilities, charmingly naïve, and more than a bit prone towards hotheaded violence. In his small town of Blackpool, he meets and falls for music producer Matt (Ian Rose) and before long finds himself moving in with Matt and his roommate, the disturbing, ultra co-dependent, Paula, who takes an instant dislike to Craig.

What could meander into either soft-core porn or worse, stagnation of soap opera, is deftly avoided by director Oremland, who believes in these characters and is blessed by having a cast that does the same.

Not without its problems "Like It Is" nonetheless flies far above the trite-too-cuteness often associated with gay cinema. It successfully and entirely avoids oversentimentalizing its subject, remaining gritty and true throughout its storytelling.