Au-delà du ring

I enjoyed Beyond the Mat because it gave us an insiders view of wrestling. But to be honest it was quite disturbing at times.

In a way it can shatter a fans illusions. We fans seem to think of wrestlers as superhuman beings-we forget that they have personal needs, families, wives, girlfriends, children etc. This movie shows us how wrestlers lives can be changed due to their devotion to keeping the fans entertained.

I won't spoil any of the film but one example is Jake "The Snake" Roberts. I watched Jake wrestle in the WWF from 1986-1992 and to me he was a brilliant wrestler who had it all-how wrong I was. It showed us another side to Jake Roberts-the human side who has sacrificed a lot to become a wrestler, including family.

This is a thought provoking movie which helps remind us that wrestlers are human after all and that they spend a lot of time away from their loved ones putting their bodies on the line purely to keep us entertained. If anything, this movie helps us appreciate the wrestlers even more.

This great documentary goes behind the scenes and shows us a side of wrestling that we rarely get to see. In particular, it focuses on three legendary wrestlers, and their stories should provoke a wide range of emotions from every viewer. There are other stories as well, but these were generally much less interesting, and the film works best when the focus is on Mick Foley, Terry Funk, or Jake Roberts. Their stories were all compelling, and wrestling-haters who are usually so quick to dismiss this business as "fake" should take a look at this movie and see just how real it can be.

I've seen this movie a few times and as a wrestling fan for over 20 years I was glad to see a movie that showed a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes. Blaustien does an amazing job and it was no surprise that it was seriously being considered for an Academy Award nomination (sadly it never ended up being actually nominated).

Wrestling fans have had to defend their love of the art of pro wrestling for many years. When the topic would come up that I am a wrestling fan I would be faced with the same idiotic question, with a tone of disbelief in their voice, "You know it's fake, right?". My response has always been to follow that question with "And what is your favourite TV show?" I usually get an answer like "Friends" or something similar and I then mockingly explain to them that Rachel and Ross never dated and Monica and Chandler are not really married and that that isn't even their real names. Soon they began to see the stupidity of their proclaiming that wrestling is fake. Whew, sorry, kind of went on a rant there.

Blaustien's film allows non wrestling fans to see exactly how "fake" wrestling can be. The blood, sweat and hard work that these athletes and their families endure is vividly shown. We finally see a human side of the often larger than life characters that these men and women of the squared circle portray.

One thing that I found very profound was the drab, dark and gloomy colours Blaustein used in segments showing that human side as opposed to the colourfulness of the slick production of the athletes performing. We go from the glamorous pyro and bright lights of a live Pay per View event to shots of the wrestlers in their concrete, black and white, dirty and sweaty dressing rooms. I don't know if the director did this on purpose but I thought it was quite effective.

Bottom line this movie is a must for any fan of wrestling but I feel it is even more important to the non-wrestling fan interested to see why all these people watch this "fake" form of entertainment.

This is the ultimate film for true fans of pro wrestling. If you have seen and enjoyed "Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows" then you will love this film even more as it is even better!

"Beyond The Mat" is written & directed by life long wrestling fan Barry Blaustien and to be totally honest the film is ground-breaking. It really pulls no punches telling all about the inner workings of the world of pro wrestling.

"Beyond The Mat" focuses on three wrestlers. Terry Funk, who claims to be retiring but is still wrestling today in WCW, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, once a ring great and now nothing more than an out-of-shape, washed up crack head, and Mick Foley, who is now retired. And this is were "Beyond The Mat" gains respect from both wrestling fans and non-wrestling fans as it does not show them as supermen but as real people, with real lives, and real families.

So if you are willing to have you illusions of your favourite stars shattered before your eyes then see "Beyond The Mat" and you will gain a new level of respect for the world of pro-wrestling.

I am not the biggest wrestling fan as I was when I was a little kid, but I found myself amazed with the inner workings of what it actually takes for a wrestler to make it in whatever venue. I can still remember a long time ago on Sundays watching Wrestling at the Chase with Larry Madisick (The ringside announcer). Then, it was Crusher Blackewell, The Von-Eriks, and other various names that seem to have long been forgotten. Now, it's Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and women wrestlers like Chyna.

It was amazing to see the transformation from what it was into what it is. It was also sad to see the self destruction of Jake the Snake Roberts and to a certain point Terry Funk with his refusal to retire.

What was also interesting was the fact that the heads of the wrestling groups (like Vince McMahon)the movie did profile did not make light of what they did or even how they promoted it. This is sports entertainment plain and simple. They have tapped into a market not to be out done by any other mass marketed item except for PokeMon.

The only problem I had with this film was the fact that I did see it at the movie theater. Now after the fact, I believe that a documentary like this should have gone to video instead. It didn't diminish the quality of the subject, but it was just something not meant for the big screen.

None the less I did enjoy this film and I would recommend it for just about anyone who has the slightest interest in wrestling.