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Simply Perfect

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Blistering performances.

I'm a casual wrestling fan, who's more interested in occasionally watching a YouTube clip out of nostalgia then in regularly following the sport. This documentary still was very compelling, though, because it examines some very fascinating and charismatic people. You don't need to know a thing about the business; the narrator himself doesn't refer to the more technical aspects and the doc. doesn't resort to the sports movie cliché of an athlete perfecting a move or style.The focus is primarily on several men who've achieved iconic status in wrestling. Their upbringing, their current status in wrestling, and the way they relate to family, fans, and other wrestlers. Terry Funk gets the lion's share of attention, understandably so since he's a rare example of a wrestler performing capably well into middle age (he was over 50 in the late 90's when this doc. was made). Funk helped pioneer a very gritty style. The fans grew to appreciate his spirit and skill (he and his opponents don't get seriously hurt, an essential part of being a good wrestler is making things look dangerous without getting hurt). Just the same, the years of competing have taken their toll on both Funk's body (a doctor says that he should barely be able to walk) and his family's patience. We're presented with his farewell match, in which he graciously loses to the younger but more famous Bret Hart, only to be told near the documentary's end that Funk found the paycheck, and the fan cheering, too tempting as he made a comeback just 3 months after the B. Hart match.More haunting is Jake the Snake Roberts. An enigmatic figure with an unforgettable gimmick (a python wrapped in a bag, ready to be unleashed on frightened opponents), his drug addiction and obviously stricken psyche have relegated him to the lowest level of wrestling. A performer known more for his personality than his athletic feats, he still can mesmerize a crowd and build a good rapport with his opponent. Out of the ring, he often speaks of the bleak loneliness of life on the road without any kind of steady relationships. We see him struggle through a meeting with his estranged daughter who fears that Jake will never fulfill his fatherly duties. Jake matter of factly relates his shocking background; being conceived in a rape, his sister being murdered, among other things. Will he overcome these things? No way to tell, especially after he goes on a drug binge and the concerned doc. crew can't find him.Amiable and somewhat spaced out, Mick Foley is a rather odd case. A top level performer for the biggest wrestling company (the WWF), his gimmick of being a glutton for punishment has led to the company pushing him harder and harder, eager to excite the fans and boost ratings. Foley himself encourages this push as we see youthful footage of Foley performing stunts. Bearded, missing several teeth, and with a thick mane of curls, he seems much older than he really is. A doting husband and father of several young children, it's quite distressing to watch his family endure a match in which Foley's head is lacerated open. In a post-match haze, Foley and the company boss reassure each other that the fans got what they wanted. Later on, when Foley watches his family's reaction to the match, he admits that for the first time he's concerned about his profession and the way it batters him. Unlike the majority of performers, Foley went on to retire (and stay retired) at a fairly young age. Several successful auto-biographical books helped him do it.We see shorter segments on other, less notable performers. A black wrestler named New Jack, with obvious tattoos and scars, who brags about being violent, goes to a Hollywood casting agency. We see him reciting a script with a male agent. Said agent enthusiastically praises New Jack. A woman agent is more grounded, saying that New Jack might be better cast as a "best friend" type. Well, have you seen New Jack in any big movies lately? A performer is signed by the WWF and given the gimmick of "puke", who is slated to be promoted based on his ability to vomit. Ultimately this didn't really go anywhere but the performer did go on to have moderate success as "Droz" (an abbreviation of his real name). Liked by his peers, his career was cut short after being paralyzed by a clumsy performer.Another study is two products of a California wrestling school which puts on amateurish shows. These two fellows are invited to perform and be evaluated at a WWF show. One is a soft spoken, rather thin and young black wrestler. He's told by the WWF to upgrade his build and get a better costume. The other wrestler, a very muscular and older white guy who is an airline mechanic when not pursuing his dream, fares better. The WWF and the crowd likes his aggressive attitude and technical skill. We're not told if the WWF ever signed either one, leaving us with uncertainty as is often the case in wrestling. The wrestling school manager tells students upfront that pay is minimal outside of the biggest promotions and few ever make it big.After examining the ups and downs of the business, the director, a life-long fan of wrestling, admits that he's still drawn to the spectacle but still can't explain why. Perhaps it's the sincere admiration that both crowds and performers have for the best competitors. The backstage footage of wrestler camaraderie and of the efforts put into shows by so many down to the crews that put rings together, string up the lights and speakers, and choreograph and evaluate the way that wrestlers are used are a testament to a thankless profession.

Beyond the Mat (1999): Dir: Barry W. Blaustein / Featuring: Terry Funk, Mick Foley, Jake "the Snake" Roberts, Vince McMahon, Chyna: Exhilarating and provocative view of the world of professional wrestling as Barry W. Blaustein's regards the kind of person who does this for a living and goes home to a family. It takes viewers beyond the mat through Blaustein's early interest in wrestling, which is now a billion dollar operation headed for three generations by the McMahon family. He interviews Terry Funk who deals with a serious medical problem but his profession drives him from retirement. After a historical introduction into Funk's brutal bouts in Japan, we are subject to him as a family man preparing for his daughter's wedding. Mick Foley is shown being thrashed repeatedly with a chair as his wife and kids look on with horrid reactions. Foley was famous for pushing himself perhaps too far to the physical edge. Jake "the Snake" Roberts battles bouts with drugs and reunites with his daughter whom he hadn't seen in four years. Film also features Vince McMahon himself behind the scenes as well as the thoughts of fellow wrestlers and how they view McMahon's conduct. Chyna makes an appearance as one of wrestling's most unusual personalities. Media blows the wrestling image out of proportion but some aspects are too real to be faked. Score: 10 / 10

Being a gigantic wrestling fan, I couldn't wait to see this movie when it came out and it didn't disappoint. It is a great movie for fans and people who have never seen wrestling before. It is more of a documentary of the families of the men in the film than it is about wrestling. It seems that wrestling takes a back seat to the respective men's family lives. Barry Blaustein does an incredible job of editing, especially the scene with Mick Foley at the Royal Rumble 1999 when the lights go out and that song (whose name escapes me now but goes "When the light has gone...") plays and you truly see that wrestlers are more than guys in tights. You see that they are actually men who have families that care about them very much. While Beyond the Mat is good, I would have to say that it is not the best wrestling movie ever made. I would have to give those honors to Hit-man Hart: Wrestling with Shadows. If you want a good wrestling movie, watch Beyond the Mat. If you want a better wrestling movie, watch Hit-man Hart.

This documentary focus' on the world of Pro Wrestling and the world behind it. Wrestling legends appear on the movie including Mick Foley (with his saga of his children watching him go to work) and Jake 'the Snake' Roberts (with his saga of a tragic life and depression).The documentary very well may be the movie that Vince McMahon doesn't want you to see. why? because it's the truth. There are no trick camera angles, no fake blood, no gimmicks and no script. There is only the truth of what pro wrestling is really like, and the characters that populate it.Wrestling fans, prepare to face reality of your favorite sport. Non wrestling fans, prepare to see what the "sport" is all about. No gimmicks, no fake blood, no script, and no trick camera angles.