I originally saw this the year it was released, but forgot about it. As I rewatched it, toward the midpoint of the movie, I had to ask myself "why do I like this so much?" The entire story is based around pro wrestling, which I have not cared about since I was a little kid.
So, what is it? Why did I like this? Well, it's easy: there is nothing but heart here; it's a feel-good movie, through and through.
Is there a lot of depth? No, but there doesn't need to be. The story is one big redemptive arc, and that's all you need.
We have our two leads - Gordie, and Shawn - who adore Jimmy King. After King's excommunication, it is up to our duo to help him rise to the top once more.
The writing really saves what could be just another dumb comedy. We have a hero who is flawed, and who actually has to work to not merely return, but transcend where we found him. Parallel to this is the growth of Gordie, and Sean; they could have easily remained the same lovable losers, however they were allowed to find themselves and learn to be better.
I honestly would put this on the level of Tolkien or Shakespeare - no, really. Don't be fooled by the wrestling backdrop, there are actual themes here that can be found in the best hero's-journey tales.
Great action, loads of laughs, Rose McGowan at her peak, tons of heart.
This movie was AMAZING! The nostalgia. The story. WOW! Everything. I just loved it.
It's really a shame that David Arquette brought the wrath of the entire wrestling community onto him for this mediocre movie
Review by ShubesBlockedParent2024-05-26T02:35:38Z
I was almost certain I had watched this at least once before but after watching it tonight, I don't think I've ever seen it. Certainly don't remember anything about it, so this was like watching it for the first time ever. I gave it an "8" (Great) but keep in mind, that is ONLY because it's hilariously stupid (or stupidly hilarious) and because I'm still a fan of pro wrestling and enjoyed seeing all the wrestlers and wrestling storylines in here. If you're not into silly movies, if you're not a fan of "sports entertainment" then you may as well give this one a hard pass because there's certainly no other reason to watch this. I watched it, and I might even - some day - watch it again, but again, it's only because it's just really goofy and makes you laugh...in a drunken sort of way where anything and everything is funny. For a film and a story as utterly stupid as this one was, I really have to give props to David Arquette, Scott Caan, Oliver Platt...well, actually EVERYONE that was a part of the cast. I honestly don't know how some of them managed to pull their scenes and lines off with a straight face. In spite of this being such an over-the-top cheesy, silly movie, however, I can't think of any one of the cast who DIDN'T seem to put themselves into it completely. The acting was great, the soundtrack was great, the wrestling choreography was great, there was plenty of humor, and they never tried to turn this into any kind of "serious" story; this was fun, goofy humor from start to finish. Watch it if you enjoy silly movies, or if you're a fan of pro wrestling, but otherwise you're going to feel like you wasted almost 2 hours of your life, and you won't even "get" why this movie was made. Personally, I thought it was great...but that's just me.