Beyond the Mat (1999)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Barry W. Blaustein

Writer:

Barry W. Blaustein (narrative written by)

Release Date:

17 MÁRCIUS 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | Sport

Tagline:

The movie Vince McMahon does not want you to see!

Plot:

Heartfelt documentry focusing on the lives of professional wrestlers and how their sport is not fake.

Plot Keywords:

Wrestling | Championship | Backstage | Drugs | Chair

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Barry W. Blaustein	...	Himself - Narrator
Vince McMahon	...	Himself
Jim Ross	...	Himself - Sr. VP of Talent
Jim Bell	...	Himself - Sr. VP of Merchandising
Darren Drozdov	...	Himself
Roland Alexander	...	Himself
Tony Jones	...	Himself - XPW wrestler
Michael Modest	...	Himself
Terry Funk	...	Himself
Mick Foley	...	Himself
Danny Zucker	...	Himself - Childhood Friend
Dave Meltzer	...	Himself - Journalist
Jake Roberts	...	Himself
Ed Beckley	...	Himself - Promoter
Chyna	...	Herself

Also Known As:

Beyond the Mat: Unrated Director's Cut (USA) (director's cut)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and violent content.

Runtime:

102 min | USA:108 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) (director's cut) | USA:R (No. 37049) | Australia:M | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:R(A) | UK:15 | USA:Unrated (director's cut)

Filming Locations:

APW Garage - 21063 Cabot Boulevard, Hayward, California, USA

Company:

Universal Family and Home Entertainment

Trivia:

Since the release of the film, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) lost a lawsuit to the World Wildlife Fund and was forced to change their name from WWF to World Wrestling Entertainment.

Quotes:

Jake Roberts: My mother was 13 years old when I was born. Why? Because my dad raped a little girl that was in a room asleep. My dad was going out with my mother's mother. There you go. There's some bones for Jake the Snake.

Movie Connections:

References "South Park" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Lost Between Las Vegas & Mars

Hard-hitting doc that has been overtaken by events

I had first seen this many years ago at the start of my interest in professional wrestling. Not that I'm a fan, you understand, but more a casual viewer. I don't wear the T-shirts, I don't follow faded stars as they wring the last bit of cash out from their stay in the spotlight and I don't believe for a minute that it is real. The competitors know who'll win, the complex moves and counters are rehearsed or discussed prior to the match and the story lines are as scripted as a Nativity play. People like Mick Foley (who appears in "Beyond The Mat") openly speak about the mechanics of "sports-entertainment" and the current trend of being honest with the fans (at least, within the WWE) could have been prompted by Barry Blaustein's warts-and-all documentary on a strange and often unfathomable industry.

Screenwriter Blaustein admits in the opening reel to being a closet wrestling fan (and no, that's not pile-driving your opponent in their bedroom) and this film documents his attempt at getting to know what sort of people put themselves deliberately into harm's way. Are they falling stars from another era like Terry Funk who are desperate to preserve some noble art, despite increasing physical fragility and age? Are they products of a disturbed upbringing like Jake "The Snake" Roberts, wrestling with inner demons as well as a 230lb amateur in front of small crowds? Or are they family men like Foley, who want the best for his wife and kids but don't mind how much grief they give them when they see him smashed in the head with a steel chair?

In truth, it's hard to say. None of the three featured wrestlers provide any answers and often provide uncomfortable viewing. Roberts, in particular, comes across as an disturbed individual, openly admitting drug addiction and a warped family life that the best soap operas could only dream of. At least you have sympathy for Funk and Foley, both of whom clearly love the business that they are in even if the toll on their own families is a little harsh. Travelling from city to city and performing many times a week damages more than just your body. It can alienate you from those you love until in the end, like Roberts, you can hardly identify with them at all. Even Foley, committed a family man as he is, was shocked to see his wife and kids' reaction to his losing title defence to the Rock (who now, of course, is a movie star of his own).

"Beyond The Mat" is essential viewing for anyone with a passing interest in professional wrestling. Though it doesn't answer the questions you may have, it certainly deserves a huge amount of credit for being able to cut through the smoke and mirrors and show the dark side of an industry illuminated with razzmatazz and pyrotechnics. It is still a shock to see the WWF (as it was known then) owner Vince McMahon chatting away honestly and openly in a normal voice, as opposed to his usual deep-and-low growl of his and even he now participates as a in-ring competitor. We're left to make the conclusions ourselves and the biggest problem with the film, besides the lack of an obvious climax, is the speed at which it becomes out of date. Time moves very quickly in the WWE and in the few short years since the release of "Beyond The Mat", the WWF has changed its name and image and rendered the film obsolete. Whether this is by design, only Vince knows but Blaustein has made a film that is an excellent documentary in its own right but one that will surely only appeal to wrestling fans.