# Ready to Rumble (2000)

### reviewed by
jabii1

    READY TO RUMBLE

    Review by John Beachem

    * * *

    Directed by: Brian Robbins
    Written by: Steven Brill

Walking into "Ready to Rumble", the new film from Hollywood's biggest goofball, David Arquette ("Scream", those annoying 1-800-call-ATT commercials), I figured there were two possibilities for this movie. It was going to be stupid, the previews had already given that much away. The question now, was whether it was going to be the sort of stupid which you can't help but chuckle at, or the just plain moronic kind. It turns out that the movie has a little of both. While there are a lot of faults, there are also one or two really funny scenes and a few others you can't help but find amusing no matter how low brow they might be. However, the film's biggest problem is the premise itself. How can one make a movie that pokes fun at professional wrestling when wrestling already pokes fun at itself?

Gordie (David Arquette) and Sean (Scott Caan) have only one great love in their lives. This all consuming passion is professional wrestling, and specifically worship for their idol, Jimmy "The King" King (Oliver Platt). They have just obtained tickets to the latest match between The King and Diamond Dallas Page (Page Falkinburg). They are horrified to find that King's manager, Titus Sinclair (Joe Pantoliano), has rigged the match so that King will not only lose, but will be ejected from the wrestling circuit forever. Now Gordie and Sean have only one purpose in life: to get The King his crown back. However, they soon discover that their idol may not be all they thought he was, and professional wrestling may be *gasp* fake afterall!

When I said there are one or two really funny scenes in this movie I wasn't kidding. Fortunately, there are enough mildly amusing scenes to make up for this. The interesting thing is that, the best part of this movie isn't the comedy, it's the massive wrestling match at the film's end. The problem with this is that it's a long, and at times very dull, trip to that payoff. Another problem is that while the majority of the jokes may fall flat, at least the actors are trying their best to pull something out of them. However, at other times the movie seems to be trying to convey some message about wrestlers and their fans and this not only doesn't work, but seriously detracts from the rest of the film. I suppose this is because anything serious seems completely out of place in a movie this goofy.

As for the actors, I've never really cared for David Arquette. He may have been somewhat entertaining in the "Scream" films, but I think this is because Wes Craven kept him tightly reined in. Otherwise, he has a tendancy to overact to the point where the audience expects him to rip out of the screen and start bouncing off the walls. Scott Caan ("Boiler Room", "Black and White") hasn't appeared in much till now, but he turns in a remarkably restrained performance considering his co-star. As for Oliver Platt ("Lake Placid"), whom I consider one of the better comic actors working in Hollywood, he is woefully miscast as a professional wrestler. The problem is, Platt is not particularly tall, rather overweight, and about as vicious looking as a small dog. Being surrounded by real wrestlers, like Bill Goldberg throughout the movie, only makes him look more ridiculous in this role.

"Ready to Rumble" has a typical soundtrack for this type of movie. It's filled with popular alternative music, and it was certainly a welcome change from the constant rap soundtracks I've been hearing lately. Brian Robbins ("Varsity Blues") doesn't exactly seem to be directing this movie. He simply seems to be allowing the actors to do whatever they feel like to try and get a laugh out of Stephen Brill's ("The Mighty Ducks") rather weak script. I'm not sure if this was a good idea, but keeping David Arquette under control certainly couldn't have hurt the film. "Ready to Rumble" runs far too long at 122 minutes, and should have been no more than 95. I'd recommend "Ready to Rumble" to wrestling fans since they will most likely recognize a few familiar faces and give it three out of five stars.

Comments? Feel free to e-mail them to: johnbeachem@dependentfilms.net For past reviews, movie news, and other fun stuff, visit: http://www.dependentfilms.net

* * * * * - One of the greatest movies ever made, see it now. * * * * - Great flick, try and catch this one. * * * - Okay movie, hits and misses. * * - Pretty bad, see it only if you have nothing better to do. * - One of the worst movies ever made. See it only if you enjoy pain.

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