This movie will not do wrestling fans justice. It will not keep overzealous critics from bashing the profession out of spite or keep so-called "experts" from overanalyzing it because for them it is not a conventional form of entertainment.
"Ready To Rumble" involves two obsessed wrestling fans by the names of Gordie & Sean who thinks that EVERYTHING in pro wrestling, including the choreographed violence and storylines, are REAL! Even the most misinformed people out there knows that this is not true! What makes matters worse are the characters who seemingly sucker themselves into embracing these guys, including WCW's top rassler, Jimmy King. What buries this movie for good is their inability to pay attention to detail. For example:
The movie also includes a few terrible jokes that probably have nothing to do with the plot, except maybe to get few a cheap and meaningless laughs. Some of the jokes include David Arquette stick A FINGER UP HIS BUTT (don't ask me why; see it for yourself), and a few nuns who begin to share Gordie and Sean's love of rock music for some reason (What that reason is, I don't know; I couldn't find any).
All of this spoils what could have been a good movie, because it had a very promising storyline. In the film, Jimmy King is screwed out of the WCW championship without warning by his promoter Titus Sinclair, in a match that takes an unscripted turn. Sinclair strips him of the title because he has an actual dislike for King. Gordie and Sean, being the biggest fans of King, tries to help him get back at Sinclair. This would have been fine for me if not for the fact that the characters of Gordie & Sean are incredibly static throughout the film, in my opinion, as are the other characters. What results is an ending that is completely laughable and will make most viewers think how anyone could embrace these two "heroes".
In summary, what irritates me so much about this movie is that it does nothing to represent pro wrestling in a realistic manner, even for a comedy like "Ready To Rumble". To me, wrestling is no different from other forms of entertainment, except that it is a live action event that is seen very frequently on TV, & its promoters are under constant pressure to provide a fresh, believable product that everyone will like. Therefore I feel that this movie should've presented a legitimate pro wrestling atmosphere and build some comedic elements around it, which it never did. Besides, if you were a fan of something you liked and you saw a movie about it that did not look very realistic, wouldn't you be mad too?
I guess if you're looking for some enjoyment out of this film, I recommend you should watch it with a different mindset. Think of David Arquette as a mediocre actor who is best known for shilling in AT&T ads & being married to Courtney Cox. In addition, think of WCW as a company who saddles itself in bad gimmicks and storylines in its actual shows. Keep these two thoughts in mind & you'll have a good laugh at the expense of those who were involved in this movie. I would buy a copy of this film just so I can laugh and wonder why Arquette would even get close to laying a finger up his rear end.
"Ready To Rumble" involves two obsessed wrestling fans by the names of Gordie & Sean who thinks that EVERYTHING in pro wrestling, including the choreographed violence and storylines, are REAL! Even the most misinformed people out there knows that this is not true! What makes matters worse are the characters who seemingly sucker themselves into embracing these guys, including WCW's top rassler, Jimmy King. What buries this movie for good is their inability to pay attention to detail. For example:
- The capacity crowds held in "arenas" that look a lot more like big warehouses. (Which is not surprising, especially if one has watched WCW programming for any length of time & noticed the poor ratings and attendances. Also take into account the fact that almost all mainstream wrestling events are held in much bigger arenas than the ones shown in "Ready To Rumble".)
- The wrestling events themselves, which suffers from a lack of realism. The in-ring action is the most suspicious aspect, as it involves the use of incredibly fake & unrealistic moves such as the "four corner ringpost attack" which the movie claims to be the most devastating move in the business, but is hardly seen in a real wrestling event, if at all, and Diamond Dallas Page surviving a 40 foot fall from the the top of a three-story steel cage onto the mat. The crowd reactions are also fake, as even the most gullible fans will not believe that this could happen even for a split-second.
The movie also includes a few terrible jokes that probably have nothing to do with the plot, except maybe to get few a cheap and meaningless laughs. Some of the jokes include David Arquette stick A FINGER UP HIS BUTT (don't ask me why; see it for yourself), and a few nuns who begin to share Gordie and Sean's love of rock music for some reason (What that reason is, I don't know; I couldn't find any).
All of this spoils what could have been a good movie, because it had a very promising storyline. In the film, Jimmy King is screwed out of the WCW championship without warning by his promoter Titus Sinclair, in a match that takes an unscripted turn. Sinclair strips him of the title because he has an actual dislike for King. Gordie and Sean, being the biggest fans of King, tries to help him get back at Sinclair. This would have been fine for me if not for the fact that the characters of Gordie & Sean are incredibly static throughout the film, in my opinion, as are the other characters. What results is an ending that is completely laughable and will make most viewers think how anyone could embrace these two "heroes".
In summary, what irritates me so much about this movie is that it does nothing to represent pro wrestling in a realistic manner, even for a comedy like "Ready To Rumble". To me, wrestling is no different from other forms of entertainment, except that it is a live action event that is seen very frequently on TV, & its promoters are under constant pressure to provide a fresh, believable product that everyone will like. Therefore I feel that this movie should've presented a legitimate pro wrestling atmosphere and build some comedic elements around it, which it never did. Besides, if you were a fan of something you liked and you saw a movie about it that did not look very realistic, wouldn't you be mad too?
I guess if you're looking for some enjoyment out of this film, I recommend you should watch it with a different mindset. Think of David Arquette as a mediocre actor who is best known for shilling in AT&T ads & being married to Courtney Cox. In addition, think of WCW as a company who saddles itself in bad gimmicks and storylines in its actual shows. Keep these two thoughts in mind & you'll have a good laugh at the expense of those who were involved in this movie. I would buy a copy of this film just so I can laugh and wonder why Arquette would even get close to laying a finger up his rear end.