Diane Tayler

Occupation

Actor

Fighting Tommy Riley Review

By Don Willmott

Very Good

As you sit down to watch Fighting Tommy Riley, you may be thinking that the world doesn't need another boxing drama, and the first few minutes of the film, which introduce us to a down-on-his-luck boxer and a down-on-his-luck trainer, won't dissuade you of that notion. But then the movie starts to float like a butterfly and, more important, sting like a bee, and you realize that there's more going on here than stale Rocky tropes.

Young Tommy (J.P. Davis) suffered a traumatic loss at the 1999 Olympic Trials, and he hasn't been the same since. Now he fights for a few bucks here and there at seedy L.A. gyms. It's at one such gym where he catches the eyes of the unlikely duo of Marty (Eddie Jones) and Diane (Diane Tayler). Marty, the gone-to-seed trainer, is a hugely obese high school teacher who suffers from near-crippling depression. Diane is a former student of his who has set up a boxing promotion business to give him something to live for. When they spot Tommy, they know they've found their next Great White Hope.

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