It’s tough for me to judge this one by the same standards as other biopics because I’m usually not so familiar with the subject matter as I am here. So when they do things like delete one brother from existence or put events in an sequence that doesn’t match reality, it bothers me, but it’s something I wouldn’t notice if they took a similar creative license in (for example) The Imitation Game.
So I’m going to try not to do that.
Most of this film is outstanding. Performances are great. Loved the first 1:30 or so. I don’t want to say the film lost me after that, but I thought there was a noticeable drop in quality.
First, it’s difficult to overstate how horrendous the casting for Ric Flair was, especially for a movie that nailed all the other casting elements (even if I think Zac Efron got a little too jacked here). Then the match where Kevin gets disqualified and they tried to play it as a deviation from the script but also not? Maybe I missed something but I was really confused there. And finally the fight with the father literal seconds after Kerry dies was absurd. Put the confrontation in a different scene FFS.
I don’t want to say that these things ruined the movie, but they did damage it a bit.
I definitely do agree this could have gotten a few Oscar nominations in lesser years.
7/10
PS: I was very surprised at the end to see executive producer: Maxwell Jacob Friedman
MJF does make the ever-so-brief appearance as (the fictional) Lance Von Erich in that one scene where Kevin is on the apron of the ring clearly being over it all. Apparently they shot a lot more of that and then left most of it on the cutting-room floor; he was supposed to have a whole subplot. Just as well.
By the way, it was a small thing, but Kevin selling the bump on the floor for longer than expected and then barely getting in before 10 was never ever going to cause him to lose his push. That’s absurd.
Jeremy-oh-my! Seven months ago, the actor Jeremy Renner released an app called “Jeremy Renner.” At the time, I figured the app was a shoo-in for the least hostile place on the internet, as it was tailored to the presumably docile population of self-selecting Rennerheads. Recently, I checked up on the Jeremy Renner app, curious to see how its community had flourished. I expected to discover a heartwarming fellowship of Renneristas. And I did find that. Users swap uplifting memes, selfies, and diet tips, and wish each other “Happy Rennsday” en masse on Wednesdays. But I also found DRAMA.
I had reckoned that the biggest #RenHive beef would be over obscure trivia, like whether Renner’s uncredited role in Lords of Dogtown should’ve been credited. If you log onto the Jeremy Renner app, you will find an active community of Renner fans, leaving thousands of sweet comments below his posts. In fact, within the confines of the Jeremy Renner app, it looks like a digital utopia, a cocoon of Renner love and inspirational quotes. But elsewhere on social media, a small but very vocal group of impassioned fans has posted fierce accusations of censorship and contest-rigging. Here is a sampling of earnest statements from Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram from some of those apps’ users:
In response to a photo he posted on Monday, Renner received the following comment: “I hope you die man. I’m not even a fan. I just genuinely hate you and wish you the worst of humanity.”
RE: Powell dudes been acting since like 2003 or something and getting minor roles, probably first leadish role was in Everybody Wants Some (another linklater joint). I remain perplexed that people are like WHY IS HE BEING PUSHED ON US. He is handsome and charming and finally getting bigger roles, it’s not some mystery.
He got on the map with his charismatic performance in Hidden Figures. He plays a wide range convincingly, which is hard to do. I’d go out of my way to cast him because I think he’s that good.
arnold schwarzenegger is peak arnold, big huge muscles he’s very large and scary. and he’s out of the game, he’s retired from special forces and he’s living peacefully with his young daughter deep in nature. he’s not hurting anyone anymore. and this fat australian guy with a mustache and a mesh vest kidnaps arnold’s daughter and threatens to kill her, just to fuck with arnold, to get in his head and make him mad.
he got to arnold unsuspecting, when he kidnapped the daughter. he could have ended arnold’s life with a sniper round from 200 yards away in the woods. his goal was to enrage arnold, this massive strong man who is a very successful killer. they’re both killers but arnold is so much larger than bennett. bennett looks like he doesn’t even go to the gym regularly, he looks like a normal suburban dad. and bennett does all this, hires mercenaries, he absolutely spent north of 1 million dollars to get arnold in a room with him for a one-on-one knife fight. hand to hand with peak arnold schwartzenegger! what the hell was he thinking!!!
