You Cannot Kill David Arquette

Greetings again from the darkness. I'll admit to knowing very little about professional wrestling, so this was the first I had heard about actor David Arquette's scandal from nearly 20 years ago, as he promoted his movie READY TO RUMBLE (2000). Documentarian David Darg and Video director Price James collaborate here as co-directors to deliver a documentary on one of the strangest, most off-the-wall stories I've ever seen ... and one that fits well with the reputation of the professional wrestling world.

In a sport that thrives on good guy vs bad guy, David Arquette became the most hated man in wrestling. The power brokers in the industry determined a publicity stunt with his becoming WCW Champion would lead to a boon for the business. The fan and wrestler backlash was harsh and severe, and Arquette claims it made him persona non grata in both the sport and in Hollywood, though his math doesn't add up. He discloses his "10 years of rejections" for acting roles, when the wrestling brouhaha goes back 20 years. And on top of that, he has worked pretty consistently over those two decades - albeit mostly in projects that don't appeal to mainstream audiences.

So all these years later, here comes David Arquette in his attempt to re-enter the world of wrestling and gain respect from those that think he disrespected their beloved sport. The temptation here is to label the documentary and Arquette a joke, but he seems so sincere in his desire to find his way, that we catch ourselves following his journey with interest. And it's not always easy to do so. There is one moment in particular: Arquette is wearing a purple bedazzled wizard cape while sitting on a horse and vaping, when he states, "I'm sick of being a joke". Umm.

Arquette is likely best known for his role in the SCREAM movies, of which there were four between 1996 and 2011, and a fifth is on the way for 2021. Or perhaps he is best known as the ex-husband of "Friends" star Courteney Cox, with whom he has a daughter. Then again, maybe his fame is derived from being part of a family entrenched in entertainment. This includes his acting sisters Rosanna, Patricia and Alexis (who died in 2016), brother Richmond, father Lewis (a well-established character actor), and grandfather Cliff, who created the popular character Charley Weaver.

We meet Arquette's wife Christine McLarty (who looks like she could be Courteney Cox's younger sister), a career news reporter who is now a film producer, and she seems to share our confusion on why David is pursuing this at age 46 - after a heart attack, which resulted in stints and blood thinners. When he speaks of his previous alcoholism, anxiety, and other mental and physical health issues, we hope this is his way of improving his health. However, as we follow him on the road, we realize, it really is about the wrestling and redemption.

The journey leads to a "backyard wrestling" match where amateurs looking to humiliate the actor pretty much beat the heck out of him. It's at this point where he decides to train, and heads off to a facility in Virginia, followed by Cancun and Tijuana street wrestling, segments that prove quite entertaining. The pride of a wrestling match is mentioned, and we watch a ROCKY segment where Arquette chases a chicken, and is called "crazy white boy" while a Spanish version of "The Last Kiss" is played. I warned you this was a strange one.

At times we can't help but think this is a hoax in the same way in which Joaquin Phoenix parlayed his acting "retirement" into I'M STILL HERE, a mockumentary on his pursuit of a hip hop career. The difference is that Arquette really trains and really wrestles, ending with a match at the "Legends of Wrestling" in Detroit against Ken Anderson. This is a film that feels like a gag when it starts, but very real by the end. It's not enough to motivate me to go back and watch some of those terrible David Arquette movies, but it's enough to tip my cap to a man pursuing respect and redemption.

Having been friends with people that actively watched wrestling-from WWE, WCW and even ECW-the very mention of David Arquette's name was not especially relevant. To my friends, there were far worse things than David Arquette winning a title. There was the mystery of Owen Hart, the Montreal Screw Job, Randy Savage turning his back on Hulk Hogan, Chris Benoit, and even a wide assortment of terrible costumes and ideas. There was even a one legged wrestler named Zach Gowan who took more punishment than any other fighter in history. "God" even headlined a match once. They even had a stereotyped handicap wrestler named Eugene. David Arquette was bad in the eyes of wrestling fans, but c'mon. Brock Lesnar threw a one-legged wrestler down a flight of stairs and even knocked over his stretcher once....in front of the wrestler's mom. Jay Leno won a fight for crying out loud.

For me, the absolute anger caused by Arquette was palpable. Who wouldn't want to be heavyweight champion? Anyway, the grudge carried by wrestling fans was real, so real that Arquette took it upon himself to bring pride and honor to his name....even if no one really witnessed the journey.

The documentary starts off weird enough. Arquette is a typical dad bod with multiple kids, including a daughter that is embarrassed by everything he does within a metric kilometer from her. An epiphany hits Arquette after getting beat up at a backyard wrestling "event." The road paved with fluorescent tube shards and push pins would have to be traversed, with or without shoes.

Arquette trains in Mexico, Virginia and even sets up a ring in his back yard (much to the chagrin of his wife) to prove this is for real. He goes through the motions, winning, losing and even nearly losing his life (which that entire part was eye popping). In the end, he is named one of the 500 best wrestlers in the world, earns respect from those that chastises him and even gets to live out a fetish fantasy.

Now the first half of the film is bizarre. It felt like this was a joke being played out for fun but when we see Arquette cry over a signed mask from a luchador fighter-which is an honor-we fully understand this is for real. Of course, the instant Harvey Levin shows up in TMZ clips, you know this is real life.

The second half of the film has some really deep life affirming stuff, and I will not ruin it for the reader. But be ready, for you will be surprised and saddened. I'm sure David Arquette thought this film would be just a fun idea and an interesting look into his own soul. Instead, it became a fascinating character study shaped in real life. Bravo Mr. Arquette...bravo.

I personally had and still have a fond love for wrestling. Back in 2010 the business was on it's peak, it came down a little bit, but there's a new wave going around.

I think it's a story about Arquette proving the world wrong, he proved if you put your mind to it you can do it, even with the little blocks you have on the road. He pretty much sealed people mouths when it came to his WCW critics.

I think there are a decent amount of very well done cinematography shots in here and also very well edited.

I didn't know Luke Perry had a son in professional wrestling, in which he is doing pretty good from what i've been following, but i immediately recognized him. I loved the memorial they had at the end.

If you want to see familiar faces and also had/have a niche for the sport then i'd recommend watching it.

I can honestly say I along with thousands of other fans I never took David serious about anything. This show actually changed my mind and I have come full circle on my opinion of him as a actor and wrestler. Have to give him all the credit for going through what he did to clear his name in the wrestling community. This show was done outstanding and very well made. Its much much better than I ever would have expected and is well worth watching. Great job David on this documentary and your dedication to the sport.

Hearing about David Arquette wanting to get into wrestling sounded like a joke to me at first. Like it being a kind of fake documentary just to have some fun and draw some attention, like Joaquin Phoenix did when he said he wanted to become a hiphop rapper. But David Arquette was actually really devoted to wrestling, even as a young kid he always was fascinated by it.

Of course David Arquette was never really serious of truly becoming a wrestler, but he just wanted to experience the thrill for REAL. And it is a lot of fun watching him get ridiculed and fysically smacked around. He even got seriously injured and was escorted to the hospital by his friend Luke Perry, who later died of a stroke, which devasted David Arquette.

Concluding: this documentary is a lot of fun to watch, because David Arquette is a really funny fella. He is kind of deranged in a very pleasant kind of way, because who would dare take the chance of getting into wrestling, while just having had a heart attack a year before? David Arquette did and boy what great fun it is to watch him make a complete ass of himself. But he genuiningly enjoyed himself while doing so...