Aaron Robinson Posted December 14, 2008 Report Share Posted December 14, 2008 The more I hear about this, the more I want to see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 Just watched it. - Marisa Tomei as the aging stripper was a bit hard to buy. I really think they should have found someone less attractive seeing as Tomei is still smoking hot at 40 something. Also, dudes that go to strip clubs? Not that picky. Her performance was good enough though. - Seeing Necro Butcher in reading glasses is something I'm not going to be able to forget for a long time. Though the thought of an old 80s legend doing hardcore today is kinda unbelievable. Ricky Morton getting stapled? Not happening. In general, I think the wrestling parts were probably the least authentic thing in the movie seeing as he was doing planchas and Matt Sydal spots in there. - The shot of him walking down to the deli with the fans chanting in his head? Fucking brilliant. - The stuff with his daughter was heart wrenching. - The old school guy not wanting to go over spots was a nice detail. - Wasn't too hot on the ending, but all around, a very good movie, if not exactly an enjoyable one. I wouldn't go out of my way to see it again, but I think it's something non-wrestling fans should definitely see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stavros Posted January 17, 2009 Report Share Posted January 17, 2009 Though the thought of an old 80s legend doing hardcore today is kinda unbelievable. Ricky Morton getting stapled? Not happening. Terry Funk. This film took the drug habits, career decline, refusal to retire, health and family issues from a hundred different wrestlers, including Funk, Jake Roberts, Curt Hennig, Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle and many more. The only part about the film that was unbelievable is that Randy is working at the top of the card on high-level indys and yet he's supposedly at the bottom of the barrel. A guy who was supposed to be as low as him shouldn't be working at that level. I also think that wrestling as a whole wasn't repped all that well in-ring. Rourke was great for a guy who had to learn to wrestle for this role but most of the matches were about 3-4 minutes, these places would riot if that really happened. Aside from those quibbles it was a fantastic film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 17, 2009 Report Share Posted January 17, 2009 I'd say Funk is more the exception than the rule really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stavros Posted January 17, 2009 Report Share Posted January 17, 2009 I'd say Funk is more the exception than the rule really. Sure, but nothing about this film claimed that Randy The Ram was a typical old wrestler. If Funk could do it why not apply it to Randy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 17, 2009 Report Share Posted January 17, 2009 Well, it's implied that Randy is doing the match because he needs the extra money that goes with such a spectacle. Terry Funk does that kind of stuff less because he needs to, and more because he's legit insane and he WANTS to. Plus, you can tell it's Randy's first time doing such a match judging by his conversation with Necro beforehand. From being behind the scenes at indy shows myself, guys in the hardcore matches usually don't get paid much more (if at all) than the guys doing regular work and the Jake the Snakes, Ricky Mortons, etc. get a comparatively hefty sum just to go out and hit some nostalgia spots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Some stuff from Lance Storm's blog on it. He, like me, didn't like the movie, but could acknowledge it was a good one. I'm so glad I'm not alone on my feelings here. I have no interest in seeing films about people I don’t like or care about, so my not caring about, nor liking Randy the Ram pretty much ruined the film for me. You also have to consider that one of the other big appeals to this film is that it “pulls back the curtain”. I’ve spent 17 years behind that curtain so getting a peak behind it isn’t really appealing to me. Not to mention that fact that said peak behind the curtain wasn’t 100% accurate anyway, so there really wasn’t anything left for me to like. I know people will want to know what I didn’t think was accurate so I will cover this once, please don’t send me emails debating or questioning this further. The hardcore match with Necro Butcher was bullshit. I’ve seen a ton of guys do those matches (I spent years in ECW) and none of them ever came out as legitimately mutilated as Randy the Ram was in this one. Further more the Randy the Rams of the world NEVER do these matches. The guys who used to be stars only work matches they want to. They use their name value when getting booked and work smart matches, they never go out there and do hardcore matches they know nothing about and have no interest in. Go see a Honky Tonk Man Indy appearance. Randy was supposed to have been a much bigger name than Honky was in his prime so he would get even better treatment than Honky does. Honky works who he chooses, does the match that he lays out, and doesn’t even take any bumps. Randy would have the pick of the locker room for an opponent and would never be in a position to be taking a staple gun from anyone, let alone bumping in glass and thumbtacks. If there ever was a situation where a vet like Randy was in a match that involved a staple gun he would be smart enough to have two guns one which he would use and one the other guy would use on him and the other guys gun would be empty. If they were both smart they would both be empty. Again I’m not saying it was a bad film. It was likely the most accurate wrestling film made to date. I just didn’t enjoy it so lets leave it at that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Furthermore is one word. I don't think the legitimacy of the wrestling is at question about why it's a good or bad film. Ever seen Any Given Sunday or the Great White Hype? Great sports films with very little in common to their real-life sports. It would be boring otherwise. I don't bitch at The Commitments because it's not very accurate as far as small-town bands are concerned because it's a great movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Cut him some slack. It's Lance Storm, not Hemingway. Any Given Sunday and Great White Hope also weren't marketed as films intended to "expose" the inner workings of their sports. They're completely different types of movies. The inaccuracy of the wrestling wasn't even my main gripe with the movie, but Stavros and I were debating the point of Randy doing a hardcore match, which would be completely absurd for his character to do. My main gripe with the movie (and what Storm said in a previous blog that I just didn't post as well) is that Randy the Ram is not a likable character. He's a life-long fuck up that was constantly given chance after chance to fix things, and he pissed them all away. By the end of the movie, I didn't care if he died, which I'm sure wasn't the intention of the film. Plus, I've already said it was a good film. I just didn't enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 But did this film set out to "expose" the inner workings of wrestling? I've never picked any of that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Expose it to the point that it's not as "fake" as everyone perceives it to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 OK, now I don't know what we're talking about. This is not a biopic right? Is it as bad as something like No Holds Barred? Maybe I'm not privy to something not watching wrestling for the past decade but wrestling IS fake, it is however something that can take a real toll on someone. Right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Maybe I'm not privy to something not watching wrestling for the past decade but wrestling IS fake, it is however something that can take a real toll on someone. Right? Right. The point of the movie was to show the inner workings of a business that the general public perceives as a joke and show that wrestlers are real people with real problems, and that even though it's fake, that there is a lot of pain involved, most physically and otherwise. On that front, the movie was an absolute success, and again, it was a good movie worthy of whatever rewards it receives. No so, it's not No Holds Barred at all. All of that said, it was not an enjoyable movie, and not one I'd really want to see again. My two issues with the movie were A) Randy's character is wholly unlikable and unsympathetic and B) the hardcore match scene. Tomei as the aging stripper was sort of stupid casting as well, but that's a minor point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Maybe I'm not privy to something not watching wrestling for the past decade but wrestling IS fake, it is however something that can take a real toll on someone. Right? Right. The point of the movie was to show the inner workings of a business that the general public perceives as a joke and show that wrestlers are real people with real problems, and that even though it's fake, that there is a lot of pain involved, most physically and otherwise. On that front, the movie was an absolute success, and again, it was a good movie worthy of whatever rewards it receives. No so, it's not No Holds Barred at all. All of that said, it was not an enjoyable movie, and not one I'd really want to see again. My two issues with the movie were A) Randy's character is wholly unlikable and unsympathetic and B) the hardcore match scene. Tomei as the aging stripper was sort of stupid casting as well, but that's a minor point. Does she take her clothes off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Robinson Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Yeah, the hardcore match seemed out of place. The whole film did a pretty good job of showing how broken down Randy was, and what he’d go through just to get approval. I don’t think the hardcore match was really necessary. The film was brutal enough without it. EDIT - And yes, you get to see Tomei in a g-string. I like her, and I liked her character, but I found it really hard to believe people were turning her down because of her age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Maybe I'm not privy to something not watching wrestling for the past decade but wrestling IS fake, it is however something that can take a real toll on someone. Right? Right. The point of the movie was to show the inner workings of a business that the general public perceives as a joke and show that wrestlers are real people with real problems, and that even though it's fake, that there is a lot of pain involved, most physically and otherwise. On that front, the movie was an absolute success, and again, it was a good movie worthy of whatever rewards it receives. No so, it's not No Holds Barred at all. All of that said, it was not an enjoyable movie, and not one I'd really want to see again. My two issues with the movie were A) Randy's character is wholly unlikable and unsympathetic and B) the hardcore match scene. Tomei as the aging stripper was sort of stupid casting as well, but that's a minor point. Does she take her clothes off? Yes, and trust me, I'm not complaining about that. My issue there is that she's still too goddamn attractive at 36 or whatever to play a stripper that's supposedly so old and ugly that no one wants a lapdance from her. Her acting, and all of the... ahem... other stuff she did was fine. They simply should have found someone uglier or eliminated that part of her character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Robinson Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Well, Tomei is 44, so she’s the right age for the part. But yeah, she’s insanely attractive, and having crow’s feet isn’t enough to make me accept that a bunch of frat boys would be grossed out by her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxPower Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Finally saw this and I thought it was amazing. - The shot of him walking down to the deli with the fans chanting in his head? Fucking brilliant. - The stuff with his daughter was heart wrenching. - The old school guy not wanting to go over spots was a nice detail. Agree with all of this, the walk to the deli was a fantastic piece of movie making. For me the movie was almost a commentary on addiction, with Randy having an addiction to the high of being a celebrity and people cheering and knowing him. He had multiple opportunities in the movie to start a normal life and every time he fucked it up by choosing the fans over real people. So yeah he is a dick, but in those glimpses of him trying to be a normal person, he comes across as a nice guy and is even aware of his faults. But when the addiction kicks in, he just fucks up his life. It's not that he's unlike-able it's just that he's past the point of redemption, so for me it was almost a feeling of pity, more than empathy. On the Tomei thing, 44 is still 44, so if you're in a strip club surrounded by 20-25 year old strippers, she's going to look old compared to them no matter how hot she is. The skin is a bit looser, the face is a bit more worn, she's not as bubbly and naive, etc. Her story and Randy's is similar as in they are past their prime, but it's the only thing they know how to do well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc20willsave Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 It's worth noting though, there is a market for the 44 year old stripper. Lots of her core crowd are going to regulars but hey, a buck is a buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.