Fat City 1972

Billy Tully, a boxer past his prime, drifts into a Stockton gym to rebuild himself and ends up sparring with Ernie Munger, an 18-year-old he sees real potential in. Seeing something worth nurturing, he tells the young fighter to seek out his former manager and trainer, Ruben Luna. Later, he shares his renewed interest with combative barfly Oma Lee Greer and her easygoing boyfriend Earl, expressing how impressed he is with the kid. With this spark of inspiration, Tully decides to step back into the world of boxing himself and chase a new start.

Tully’s life has frayed at the edges since his wife walked out. He battles with alcohol, struggles to hold down work, and scrapes by doing migrant fruit and vegetable picking. The shadow of his past loss and the belief that Ruben Luna mishandled his last bout still lingers. In a bid for shelter, he tries moving in with Oma after Earl is sent to prison for a few months, but their relationship remains rocky and unsettled. Meanwhile, Ernie Munger endures a tough learning curve of his own: his first fight ends with a broken nose, and a subsequent bout ends in a knockout, while he faces pressure from his girlfriend Faye Murdock to marry because a baby is on the way. To make ends meet, he continues to pick fruit in the fields, caught between duty and dreams.

For his comeback bout, Tully is paired against the aging, hard-nosed Mexican Arcadio Lucero, who fights with great pain yet undeniable skill. The crowd roars as they exchange blows, both men hitting the canvas before Tully is declared the winner. But the victory is hollow: he learns he’ll be paid only $100, a sting that pushes him to sever ties with Ruben Luna. He returns to Oma’s apartment to find Earl there, still covering the rent, while Oma’s sobriety-tinged cruelty leaves Tully feeling unwelcome and isolated.

Later, Ernie Munger is on his way home from a fight when he spots Tully drunk in the street. He tries to ignore him, but a request for a drink changes the moment. They sit together over coffee, the conversation slowly fading into a quiet, mutual understanding. As the night deepens, the two men observe a world that has grown distant, each man weighing the price of fighting—inside the ring and out—while a shared loneliness unites them in a long, reflective silence.