Like It Is

["L. Bird" <pkeets@hotmail.com>]

Hi.  Here's a review of LIKE IT IS from the Daltrey list.  Have you guys 
seen it?

K
           User Comments:

                          Julian Hathaway
                          Colchester, England

                          Date: 8 August 1998
                          Summary: 

           This surprisingly good debut from director Paul
           Oremland follows the story of bare-knuckle fighter
           Craig (impressively acted by British amateur
           featherweight champion, Steve Bell) as he abandons his
           violent life in Blackpool's underworld and finds love
           and disillusionment in London's gay clubland. 

           As with many debuts, part of the fun of this film is trying
           to trace Oremland's influences. There are heavy
           reworkings of the "Breaking Glass" scenario (1980:
           Brian Gibson), with the action of "Like It Is" relying on
           the same devices: the buying of records from particular
           stores in order to make a record enter the music charts
           (a hideously corny nineties style boy -band); the
           predatory boss-figure (played with worrying
           believability by Roger Daltrey); and the casual
           drug-taking. Elsewhere, the relationship between Ian
           Rose's record producer and the naive Bell reminds us
           of that between the Gordon Warnecke and Daniel Day
           Lewis characters in "My Beautiful Launderette" (1985:
           Stephen Frears) although, like all Oremland's
           'borrowings' this is given a powerful nineties twist,
           concerning itself not with a racial divide between the
           lovers, but a cultural one in the macho, 'don't call me
           queer' stance of the Northerner and the 'glad to be gay'
           hipness of the Londoner. 

           This is a slightly awkward film but Oremland cleverly
           sidesteps the usual cliches that so often marr
           well-intentioned yet cringe-worthy gay drama. The
           performances of both Bell and Daltry are absolutely
           first-rate, whereas Rose is satisfactory even if I couldn't
           quite believe someone throwing up their life to follow
           him across the country after a one-night stand. Behr is
           just plain annoying -- although, it must be said, her
           character is anything but likeable, so how much of this
           lies with the actress herself is open to debate. 

            As a coming-out tale, "Like It Is" is a little too
            sugar-coated for my tastes: I found the reaction of
            Bell's elder brother, on finding out his predilections
            ("Thank God!") rather unbelievable -- as was Rose's
            telling him in the first place. Surely, as an experienced
            gay-man, Rose would have more sense than to go into
            a strange man's home and out his brother -- especially
            when the aforementioned stranger is standing between
            him and the door.

            But these are minor niggles -- as a debut film, this is a
            highly enjoyable effort and well worth seeing. Contains
            swearing, drug-taking, nudity and sex scenes. 3½ out
            of 5.

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