Like It Is

Paul Oremland shows signs of being an excellent director. There are some awkwardnesses in this film that should have been reshot, but also many of the scenes are excellent, and especially the street scenes seem true to life and very atmospheric. Except for the fight scenes, this movie could cross over and be enjoyable for women. I'd love to see what Oremland can do with a larger budget.

It's very rare a young actor makes such a great positive impression in his debut film. British actor, Steve Bell, does just that! A natural talent, his acting carries this film. Although one cannot ignore how physically beautiful he is, his acting is what matters here. Playing a blackpool fighter(Steve boxed in real life), he carries his role with a masculine swagger, while also displaying a tenderness so rarely captured on film. Struggling with his own sexuality, gay audiences will embrace this performance and straight audiences will find this film proves it appeals to mainstream viewers as well. Soon, gay themed films will not be seperated from "straight" themed films, as love is universal. And this film is ground-breaking as it never depends on stereotype.

Roger Daltrey, lead singer of the legendary rock band, THE WHO, shows he has great acting chops, as does Ian Rose. Brilliantly directed by, Paul Orewland, this film is my favorite gay themed film, along with the American film, "Edge of seventeen."

I will cherish this film over and over. And, once again, I must say, Steve Bell is sexy, brilliant, and impossible to keep your eyes off of him!!

This film is about a young boxer who falls in love with a club manager. That's the story: the theme to me was about coming out of the closet as a gay man. I know this situation only too well, and this film hits the nail on the head (no pun intended). Roger Daltrey is the only star in this film, playing an older gay man seeing the younger make mistakes. The two male leads are handsome, and the sex scenes are neither exploitational nor lurid. This movie tells it like it is: coming out is a very painful and distressing emotional experience. Please see this film. This is a very strong drama for those who can take it. Released in 1998 hy First Run Features.

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.

This is a simple and enjoyable film. It shows the evolution of the sexual-love relationship of two young men in London. The total contrast of the characters and their origins, as well as the graphical elements of the characters, specially the one of Craig, demystify alot of gay stereotypes through an unusual romance.