Gloves Off

This film was very easy watching, great cast, light hearted and fun.

If this was made in the mid nineties it would have got similar plaudits as The Full Monty and Brassed Off. We are in different times but to me that doesn't detract from this easy and fun watch.

It doesn't tax your brain or overload your senses with special effects but it is a wholly enjoyable film.

Some great comedy moments and some heart wrenching ones too, a film to chill out to and not take too seriously.

Rocky meets The Full Monty.

This British comedy drama has some good character actors. Ricky Tomlinson, Paul Barber and Alexei Sayle. It is let down by a banal script that mistakes silliness for comedy.

Doug (Brad Moore) plays a once promising boxer. Now he is managing a boxing gym which has debts that he cannot pay. Some fight club type posh boys are pressurising him especially as one of the old geezers in the boxing club knocked one of them out.

One day Vera (Denise Van Outen) comes to his gym wanting Doug to train his son. When the money pressure gets too much for him, Vera who is a gypsy wants Doug to get her dim brother in shape for a £100,000 bare knuckle fight. This would enable Doug to pay off his debts but the brother has to win the contest and these types of fights get dirty very quickly.

The film has too many broadly sketched caricatures. Posh boys who think they are hard, Irish, gypsies. It feels dated and lazy.

Are you looking for a fun feel good movie with a great cast ? Then Gloves off is for you ! I laughed and cried and laughed again. I definitely recommend it!

I think that there must be two films, with the same name and same cast?!?

The cast are likeable enough - some real favourites - but the film is embarrassingly poor. We could imagine the silence at the first showing, post-production, with all cast and crew struggling to think of something positive to say to the director, whilst wondering what damage they'd just done to their careers.

As for the review comparing this to Snatch - what have you you been drinking? I'd like to try a pint.

The real mystery is that we watched it through - it was a really lazy, tired, Sunday night though...

I felt sorry for the cast, who somehow managed to throw themselves into this rubbish whole-heartedly. Pleased for them that this amazingly won a BIFFA for the best feature film. Wonders will never cease.