53
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasThis small, lovingly crafted film continually surprises with its depth and resonance.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleWorking on a microbudget, director Eddie O'Flaherty coaches solid performances from his small cast and makes the most of the handful of up-close, well-choreographed fight montages.
- 70L.A. WeeklyJon StricklandL.A. WeeklyJon StricklandDavis, who did some writing for a TV series and acted in a couple of B-thrillers, is notably solid inhabiting Riley's conflicted machismo, supported by Diane Tayler's fine turn as a bottom-rung manager.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttMore character study than sports movie, the people in this film come across very much as flesh-and-blood personalities despite the script's tendency to indulge in cliches and let characters deliver highly emotional speeches.
- 60VarietyRobert KoehlerVarietyRobert KoehlerThe winner by a knockout is Eddie Jones...Without Jones, pic is a standard drama on the sweet science with the usual tropes and a slight tweak on the usual conflicts.
- 60The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinDespite its flaws, the film gets across some genuine melancholy, played up by a sobbing Irish fiddle.
- 38New York PostNew York PostTommy Riley is a ten-cent "Baby."
- 38New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanThe sort of slick-looking indie that plays well at film festivals, this heavy-handed boxing drama is really just a flyweight bulked up on cliches and false sentimentality.
- 30Village VoiceMelissa AndersonVillage VoiceMelissa AndersonOutrageously sentimental and retrograde.