Beyond the Mat

Pros: Blaustein gives us an interesting, and occasionally touching, look at the men behind the characters of pro wrestling
Cons: Jake 'The Snake' Roberts doesn't come across in a sympathetic light despite Blaustein's efforts to portray him as a tragic figure.

Beyond the Mat: Imagine Entertainment/ Lion’s Gate Films
Rating: USA: R/ UK: 15

Ok, I admit—I like pro-wrestling. Ever since I was a kid, when I first caught a glimpse of Sgt. Slaughter and Andre the Giant (on Vince...

Pros: Behind the scenes of pro wrestling
Cons: it's not always pretty`

Here it is, the film "Vince McMahon didn't wan't you to see." And rightly so. Vince ends up looking like a dirty playing, money making entrepreneur of the finest kind(thank god the XFL didn't catch on as much as anticipated). Vince looks like an a*s,...

Pros:
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Professional wrestling requires an inherent duality; spectators are drawn not to the wrestlers themselves but to their characters. Terry Bollea must become Hulk Hogan just as Jake Roberts must become the serpentine Jake “The Snake.” “Beyond the Mat” is...

Pros: Wrenching footage of the aftermath of matches, both physical and emotional.
Cons: Not enough socio-cultural analysis

Like writer and director Barry Blaustein I watched professional wrestling as a boy - and emulated it, much to my mother's dismay. This was the mid-1970s, and the wrestlers I enjoyed the most were Pat Patterson, Moon Dog Mane and Haystack Jack (so named...

Pros: Fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the world of wrestling and the world behind it.
Cons: Waiting for the sequel...

"Yeah, you’re right. We’re too extreme. We’re too wild. We’re too out of control. We’re too full of our own..."

"Beyond The Mat" is an engrossing, insightful, look at the unseen world of wrestling. It’s my personal pick...

Pros: FULL of behind the scene information
Cons: Would have liked to have heard more from their families.

BEYOND THE MAT is a documentary which takes a look into WRESTLING. I have been a fan of Wrestling for many years. Many of the things revealed in the documentary were new to me. It's my opinion that whether your a fan or not you'll still enjoy this...

Pros: Pesents the business for what it really is
Cons: Wrestling fans will be able to tell how dated the film is.

For over a century, the world of professional wrestling has entertained its fans, and been the target of people who say it's "fake" without making a logical reason as to why they say it's fake. This documentary, marketed as "The film Vince McMahon ...

Pros: interesting
Cons: is it real or not?

Beyond the Mat
A documentary?


This movie is suppose to be a documentary about certain wrestlers and their lives beyond the wrestling ring. The wrestlers included were, Jake the Snake Roberts, Mick Foley, and...

Pros: Intriguing characters, well paced, wrestling without the glitz.
Cons: You can tell that the featured wrestlers were carefully selected for maximum drama.

It's a directorial debut for acclaimed writer Barry Blaustein ("Saturday Night Live", "Coming to America", "Boomerang", "The Nutty Professor"), and it's a subject matter close to his heart - professional wrestling. Blaustein tells it from the off that he...

Pros: Heart warming, and heart wrenching.
Cons: That because it involves wrestling, more people haven't seen it.

For every Hogan, Rock or Ric Flair, there are countless others who toil in hell in the world of wrestling. Some can't even find their way out. People rave about Michael Moore or Ken Burns. I'd rather watch grass grow than watch one of their films. ...

Pros: A real and powerful documentary
Cons: I have no idea

Much like the director of this film, I love wrestling. I love every aspect of it. However, when people hear that I like wrestling, they just laugh at me. I want every one of those people to see Beyond the Mat. This movie will prove, "beyond a shadow...

Pros: Real Life Stories of Wrestlers Potrayed Accurately
Cons: If You're Looking For A Live Action Wrestling Film, This is Not It

Beyond the Mat is a video that goes behind the scenes of the wrestling world to delve into the lives of particular wrestlers and show their personal lives as they truly are.

After viewing Bret Hart's biography on wrestling on...

Pros: Great stories and characters
Cons: Much too dark and honest

I have been a wrestling fan since I was 8 years old. At that time I saw a huge man run wild and take his opponents by storm. Hulkamania ran wild through me at that time. But that was 16 years ago and Hulkamania doesn't have the same luster it once...

Pros: Some interesting insight into professional wrestling.
Cons: Not nearly as good as an earlier film on the same subject.

World Wrestling Foundation head Vince McMahon has publicly blasted this documentary look at the world of professional wrestling, but one has to wonder why. He and his organization actually come off pretty well in Barry Blaustein's film, for any dirt...

Pros: Reveals the troubles and tragedies of the participants
Cons: It's not the "no-holds-barred expose" you may expect

Writer/director Barry Blaustein received a Director's Guild of America documentary nomination for his enthusiastic, behind-the-scenes examination of professional wrestling. In publicizing his carefully collated collection of matches and interviews,...