As Bleed For This opens, cocky boxer Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller) approaches the camera in a leopard-accented robe, flanked by his trainer (Aaron Eckhart) and the first of many girlfriends. They’re on their way to a weigh-in, but within seconds the girlfriend trips and falls. Paz doesn’t even notice. It’s the first of several scenes demonstrating his self-centered approach to relationships. Even his mother (Katey Segal) can’t keep the rotating cast of strippers straight, a feat since Vinny still lives at home, where his sister watches his bouts on a couch filled with adoring female fans. Miles Teller tones down the real boxer’s notoriously frantic personality, while clever archival editing and Julia Holter’s score make this more interesting than I expected it to be.
Bleed For This
