Professional wrestling may just be choreographed fakery, but the people who risk their lives and health performing the dangerous stunts are all too real and all too human.
That really shouldn't come as news to anyone, least of all fans of the unique pseudo-sport. But it does supply ample fodder for "Beyond the Mat," a surprisingly engrossing, behind-the-scenes look at some of wrestling's current and former stars.
Admittedly, the film could have been more penetrating in its analysis (for one thing, the 1980s steroid scandal is completely overlooked). But for what it is — and filmmaker Barry Blaustein originally intended it to be a "valentine" to pro wrestling — the movie still manages to call into question the motives of wrestling promoters, as well as question the violent and vulgar content.
(In fact, "Beyond the Mat" has already caused a furor with officials at the World Wrestling Federation, who have banned ads for the film from airing on any of their television programs.)
To be honest, the film probably won't make any new converts to the "sport," but one audience for whom the movie should be required viewing is its fans — especially parents who let their children watch these programs.
For the movie, Blaustein and a documentary crew followed around several athletes, including "hard-core icon" Terry Funk, a fiftysomething Texan who continues to wrestle despite several serious health problems, such as painfully arthritic knees.
Also shown to be suffering from health concerns is Mick Foley, the popular "Mankind" character from the WWF (and now a best-selling author), whose ability to withstand punishment is legendary — though his wife and children are horrified by the abuse he takes for the sake of a paycheck.
Both Funk and Foley are family men, and as such they stand in stark contrast to Jake "The Snake" Roberts, a once-popular wrestler whose inner demons (including drug use) have consumed him and threaten to destroy a tentative relationship with his estranged daughter.
However, even the troubled Roberts is shown to be sympathetic. And if there's a "bad guy" who emerges from this story, it's WWF owner Vince McMahon, whose seeming lack of concern for his athletes' health is nearly as shocking as the brutal pummeling Foley receives during one wrestling event.
It might have sounded like a commercial decision on Blaustein's part for him to include such scenes of in-ring action. But the sequence showing Foley being bludgeoned with a metal folding chair is nothing short of sickening, and ultimately, heartbreaking.
Again, the movie isn't as scathing as it might (or should) be. But it's still a compelling human drama, and the main interviewees reveal themselves to be likable, sometimes tragic, people.
"Beyond the Mat" is rated R for wrestling violence (much of it shockingly graphic), gore (including glimpses of medical procedures), profanity and vulgarity (including some crude humor).