The wrestling movie- Reversal (pathetic)

[karelin]

I just saw the movie, 'Reversal', this past weekend; it's the worst portrayal of the sport I have ever seen. Ken Chertow was right in his negative assessment of the movie; but he was too kind. I was hoping this could be seen by any wrestler for enjoyment, motivation, or simply reaffirming what a great sport it is. The whole movie is bad, as it misrepresents the sport in many ways. A couple points-terrible weight loss methods, an 8yr old cutting weight, nose bleeds because of excessive wt. cutting measures. Several moral issues and the lead character quits the week before the post-season begins. Don't waste your time watching; you know when the lead character is also the writer and producer, you're going to have an inferior movie. You'll never see this flick in the theaters.

By far, worst of all wrestling movies, even worse than 'One More Shot'. Rating for 'Reversal'-1/10 of a star's point.

[legman]

Karelin,

 

I couldn't agree more. I actually watched the "extra" tape first which showed the movie trailer, interviews, the making of it, etc. When I saw all of the big names endorsing the movie, I had high hopes for it. Besides, not being a huge Chertow fan, I hoped that he was way off base. However, after watching the movie, I felt much the same as you. It just left me with a bad feeling. I had hoped to show this movie to my team, but there's no way. Besides the things that you pointed out, I couldn't help but notice the constant inclusion of cigarettes and alcohol into the characters and the storyline. Yes, I know that this movie is supposedly based on a true story, but in my mind, it just didn't do our great sport justice. Where is Loudon Swain when you need him?

 

Legman

[rcpatriot]

hey guys, i agree with both of you about the movie. i thought the whole thing was low budget and it give our sport any justice. one avenue that you may, or may not have seen in the movie, was how the dad pushed his son from the start and tried to live through his son. that was the only "true to life" part of the movie that hit home with me, as i am also a father/coach of a youth wrestler. i have found myself thinking that my 9yr old should drop that 2lbs to drop to the lower weight class, only to quickly realize that i would be teaching him bad habits along with telling him that he wasn't good enough to wrestle kids his natural weight. in addition, i have been guilty of pushing him harder than i should to excel. i saw a little of myself, as a father/coach, in parts of this movie. it was more than a little disturbing.

those are the only positive's that i can take from the movie. as a movie that was promoted by chertow, angle, and other's to be a big plus for the sport, can't say that i saw the same thing as they did!!

[ijtx]

I enjoyed this movie immensely; especially after watching it the second time. This story, about a father

[ijtx]

I enjoyed this movie immensely: especially after watching it the second time. This story, about a father's unconditional love for his son, wrung my heart. As the father of a 15 year old wrestler; I could relate with the father's desire to make a brighter future for his son. It's the dream of every parent, regardless of what their child aspires to be.

 

'Reversal' drives home a powerful message about the difference between right and wrong. The life-threatening measures used to cut weight stand revealed for what they truly are - dangerous. The sad thing is; it actually happened to writer/producer, Jimi Petulla who portrays the father in the movie.

 

It also tells the tender story of an adolescent coming of age, attempting to balance the over-zealous expectations of his father/coach with the enormouus peer pressure all teenagers face. The son (Leo) constantly struggles against his desire to please his dad and the lure of a social life. Incidentally, Danny Mousetis does a marvelous job portraying the pain and internal conflict Leo had to face.

 

There is an admirable profile in courage appearing at the end of the movie. The son had the fortitude to quit wrestling and do what he wanted to do. Not what his father or his team wanted him to do. That took guts. Not many kids would be brave enough to make that decision under those circumstances. This is another good lesson the movie delivers - Don't do anything you don't want to do simply because someone else wants you to. Be yourself.

 

Lastly, the social and training issues brought up in this film provided the perfect segue to have a frank discussion with my son. We openly discussed the extremes Leo went to just so he could make weight; and we also talked about the social issues of teen drinking and smoking marijuana, both of which are taboo. Ummm...we skipped over the subject of condoms. That's for another time.

 

This good movie is not about wrestling. It could have revolved around any other sport or activity where excellence and dedication are required. It's a heart-breaking story about a father and son relationship and watching a boy become a man.

 

If all you got out of 'Reversal' was abusive training tactics and misguided parenting; I hope you'll watch it again.

[legman]

Clearly, I can see that we are just going to have to agree to disagree about this movie, and that's fine with me. However if there were an award for the usage of adjectives and adverbs in one post,......WOW! You are the man! If you've never thought of a career in movie review, you might be missing your calling. Happy viewing.