Fat City

Directed by John Huston, Fat City follows two vastly different men (Stacy Keach’s Tully and Jeff Bridges’ Ernie) as they attempt to make a living at boxing while also maintaining a relationship with the women in their lives. Filmmaker Huston, working from a script by Leonard Gardner, delivers an exceedingly slow-moving character study that benefits substantially from an overall vibe of authenticity and the leads’ often spellbinding work, as the movie’s documentary-like execution is generally compelling enough to sustain one’s interest even through the narrative’s more meandering stretches – although, by that same token, it’s ultimately clear that Fat City is never entirely able to become the gripping drama that Huston has clearly intended. It’s a shame, really, given that both Keach and Bridges manage to become their respective characters to a degree that’s nothing short of astonishing, and it’s clear, too, that Huston has managed to elicit superb work from an eclectic supporting cast that includes Nicholas Colasanto and Susan Tyrrell – which does, in the end, cement Fat City‘s place as a well-made piece of work that one, for the most part, admires more than one enjoys.

**1/2 out of ****