Cock & Bull Story

Rating:
Summary: worth watching, 3 1/2 stars
Review: Travis, a naive, likable, young (and very good looking) boxer, slowly recognizes his homosexuality. At the same time, his jerk of a best friend, Jacko, is gradually consumed by homophobia--seemingly aggravated by his feelings for Travis. The film is well shot and thoughtfully considers the jagged border between same sex attraction and homophobia. Although there are many subtle elements, there are also some unnecessarily didactic, "hit you over the head" (sorry) aspects. I found Jacko completely unsympathetic. He presented too strong of a counterpoint. Even though people like him exist, I don't care to spend time with them and had difficulty understanding why Travis would either. This caused a "reality gap" for me, as did the uneven and stagey acting of some of the secondary characters.
Nevertheless, the more I thought about the movie the more I liked it. A second viewing helped.
Those who would enjoy a more traditional "love story" plot in a boxing film should try LIKE IT IS.