Beyond the Mat

Love them or leave them - misfit politicians, wayward spouses, and yes, professional wrestlers. Perhaps no other spectacle involves personalities as much as professional wrestling and Barry Blaustein's insightful "Beyond the Mat' explores those who thrill us with their lust for mayhem. Men and women with self destructive appetites are drawn into this entertainment venue - those who make a profit like the billionaire promoter Vince McMahon are called smart and shrewd, those who are swallowed up by their maladaptive behavior like the pathetic Jake'the Snake' Roberts are simply called mad. "Beyond the Mat" doesn't uncover anything we don't already know - the loud-mouth, hyped interviews, the staged choreography of flying bodies and colliding men against steel, and the spurting blood sacrificed in the name of violence. What we do see are the showmen who strut their stuff inside the ring, more dedicated to their brotherhood and craft than you can imagine. The battle wearied Terry Funk is a throwback to the self-managed, up-close-and-personal hero that Blaustein and a good number of his generation grew up with. The much younger Mick 'Mankind' Foley is a creation of the media driven World Wrestling Federation, a syndication leap years away from the Amarillo, Texas of Terry Funk. The deeply hurting Jake the Snake has fought so many battles in his long and troubled life that his only solace is crack cocaine and fighting in the ring. But the blood that Funk and Mick and Jake spill is the same blood of wanton brutality. It is the spectacle of harm and harming others. And yet in a cruel and twisted way, "Beyond the Mat" reminds us that wrestlers are as normal as anyone, just different. 'Mankind' and 'The Rock' can talk pleasantries before a match, before each tries to pulverize the other in front of their stunned wives and children. Terry Funk, as a gesture of forgiveness, repeatedly begs an old nemesis to referee his supposedly final match - a match in which he knows he will lose and will get brains bashed in. "Beyond the Mat' is a well made chronicle of wrestlers who care less if they win or lose (the promoters see to that) but more on how they play the game.

As a wrestling fan, when I saw this movie in the video store, I had to get it. Thinking I'd be seeing nothing more than an overview of pro wrestling, I was pleasantly surprised to see this documentary by filmmaker Blaustein that incorporates all the major wrestling organizations in the U.S. and also some of the greatest wrestlers ever to step in the ring...including a few personal favorites like Mick Foley and Terry Funk. In showing these wrestlers as humans, Blaustein has created a view of wrestling unique in a world of trickery and promotional stunts. This is one helluva documentary going behind the scenes of all the wrestling promotions, showing the real people involved, and in the end shows the viewer that, indeed, in wrestling nothing as it seems. A few of the highlights include a touching, and tragic, portrayal of mat legend Jake "The Snake" Roberts, behind the scenes of a WWF pay-per-view, and the story of hardcore legend Mick Foley. I would highly recommend this to anyone...it is an entertaining and revealing film that I think even non-wrestling fans would enjoy.

This is the greatest insiders look in wrestling of all time. We look at not only those individuals as characters but also as people. Terry Funk, New Jack, Mick Foley and Jake Roberts are to name just a few in this film and even if you're not a fan of wrestling or you think that wrestling is fake then look at this film and see that it's more real than people think.

Vince McMahon doesn't want you to see it. See it and it will open your eyes.

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.

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.