Bronx Cheers (1990)

The handsome and charismatic "Danny" (Sean Faro/Stanek) has returned from fighting in the Second World War hoping to make his mark as a songwriter. Before he can get himself in front of the cigar-toting impressario "Milton Gold" (Allen Bloomfield) he meets an ageing boxer who is a bit too fond of the bottle. "Walter" (Macky Foley) is a decent enough chap though and as the two down a few drinks, "Danny" decides he can help this man to regain some of the self respect he has lost by constantly being payed peanuts to take a dive. I have to say his solution, involving the big man's girlfriend "Judy" (Jolene Rae) and some serious lateral thinking is the highlight of this otherwise rather sterile film. That might be down to the sepia-esque style of colouring that seems supposed to imbue the film with a 1940s feel, but actually just makes it all look a bit of soap left over from some off-Broadway song and dance show. That said it delivers the always pertinent message that boxing was so often the only conduit for the working - non-academic - class man from the city slums to make good and in that role Foley foils the all-American "Danny" quite affably, if occasionally quite temperamentally too. It's an easy film to watch with an enjoyable jazzy soundtrack, but I doubt I'll ever remember it.