Back in the Day

I really like boxing movies, so when I read the summary and saw the cast I thought this was going to be a pretty good flick...I watched the whole movie, but never really got into it.

The boxing lead didn't come off as a very good actor and I had a lot of trouble buying Shannen Doherty as the love interest he spent so long pining away for. I'm sure they are close in actual age, but Doherty looks like she's in her mid 50's in this movie and she's not in very good shape, which made the flashbacks to when they younger look kind of weird.

I think the screenplay itself was probably fine, this movie just needed a slightly different cast along with better directing...

story has potential. But man most of the people in this movie deliver such bad lines and such bad acting its mostly painful. Save your time and watch something else its over 2h. 1h to 1:30 would be more than enough. Hope i save someone from watching this. A mixed blood kid grows up in a tough part of town. A mafia man helps him in his road in boxing. Sounds good right? Nope.Shannen Doherty is terrible, never though she was great but save me from her acting or lack of.Alec Baldwin has a very small part but is bearable. Danny Glover haven't seen him in a while and he did a reasonable job with what they gave him. Mike Tyson well just nice to see him i guess. William DeMeo does not look like a boxer and for me me seemed always kinda off but had a couple moments.

A young man grows up In a mob controlled neighbourhood in Brooklyn. Being half Italian and half Puerto Rican he faces constant challenges. His father is a drunk and his mother is always working which gives him ample time to pound the sand bag. Michael Madsen plays a mob boss who sets up the boy with a trainer played by Danny Glover, seeing potential in him. His mother is killed by a hit and run driver which changes his life. He now strives to be middleweight champion of the world.

They try and make a Rocky meets Goodfellas with mostly unbelievable characters. Alec Baldwin and Madsen do fine but the rest? The story focuses on his growing up and the life around him. The run time is two hours which is too long for this one. Mike Tyson's cameo was cheesy as he shows up to give the boxer a pep talk, which looks like he was reading off a prompt.

I knew this movie wasn't going to be a classic before I watched it, so my expectations were low going in. The opening scenes were actually quite promising. I'm a sucker for nostalgia and for the whole plucky underdog made good thing. However, this movie didn't work for me. The plot is thick with the worst kind of tropes. I mean, really thick. I'd love to say it was so bad, it was good... But it really wasn't. I'd skip this one if I were you. Its not rocky and it's not good- fellas. It has a MOTW feel. I believe the main actor also wrote it. I wonder if he funded it too? I can't understand how it would have got made otherwise. There are some good actors in there, but they're under utilised and don't make any impact. There's even a surprise cameo towards the end. I won't spoil it, but it's laughable. By that point, after cliché on top of cliché, the scene just felt self indulgent.

This movie could have been worse but I don't know how. To be fair, the make-up was pretty good. Other strong points were the costumes, the sound and some of the stunt work. There were actually 2 or 3 legitimate actors involved which might say something about either their desperate financial situation or owing someone a favor. On the minus side, some of the stunt work was bad, the acting amateur hour, the script was pathetic and the direction stunk. Who in their right mind financed this joke is the main question the viewer is left with. And that's why it's a troubling experience, even a painful one to watch Back in the Day. Like the title, a bad cliché from start to long awaited finish. And for those who like boxing movies this one will make you rush to a musical. It doesn't deserve a 1 but there's no 0 option.