Heated Rivalry 2026 Movie Review
It’s difficult to know where to start. It is possible that the high ratings do more damage to the gay community than the show itself. It’s quite sad that for many of my fellow reviewers such a promiscuous depiction feels like an accurate representation of their lived experience. It’s also sad that many teenage boys will see it and get that sort of impression, and feel the pressure to conform. But let’s stick to the facts, the storytelling, and to the visual arts.
Sure, the buttocks are nice, and the bodies. The series feels like an elaborate thirst trap and that bit was genius, it clearly captured the moment and created the intended hype. No one has a problem with a handsome actor, especially when the script is lacking, although I understand that it was based on a book. I do feel a little for Hudson Williams, as he seems to be getting less attention on that front. The actors are not terrible, although I’m not sure why it was an issue to find a real Russian American actor, or a Russian who speaks English. It would add a nice touch, especially as the show itself fights for some kind of representation, but it’s not a major drawback.
The best episode is by far the one focusing on the story of Scott Hunter. The acting is much better, the storyline is there, it’s romantic, and even the copious amount of sex doesn’t distract from the premise of the narrative. It still spreads some misguided views, but this can be forgiven – in that episode I can buy into the narrative that it’s about gay people being lost and making mistakes, as well as the aspects of being an open (or closeted) gay man in sports.
The rest is mostly sex, with some filler scenes in-between. Again, I do like a good sex scene, but the 1st and the 10th one don’t differ much, which ultimately results in a porn-like vibe. It seems that the director was mostly focused on those scenes, and if you look at them in isolation, he did a good job – the work of the camera is good, reminds me of much larger productions that it actually is, it’s just too much. Too much sex, too little meaning, too little art. As for the rest of the story, the main drawback is that Ilya and Shane are just not very nice people, and it’s somehow shown as excusable. It’s difficult to sympathise with either of them. Yes, they make mistakes, they’re allowed to make mistakes, but in their overconfidence about themselves they don’t realise it. I assume this is similar in its premise to the book, but it was the job of the director to make the series relatable, and at least a tad apologetic. I think it’s relatable only to an exclusive group of gay people who directed their lives in a certain way.
5/10 is the only fair rating. It’s got potential, and there was definitely a lot of effort put in by the cast and crew. It’s been led down by a not particularly lofty source material, and the way it was interpreted and shown, with no consideration for the negative impact it may have.
