Beyond the Mat (1999)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Barry W. Blaustein

Writer:

Barry W. Blaustein (narrative written by)

Release Date:

17 March 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 initial release of the film, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) were closed down and purchased by 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:

Features "WWF Raw Is War" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Lost Between Las Vegas & Mars

Watch it, even if you hate wrestling

This great documentary goes behind the scenes and shows us a side of wrestling that we rarely get to see. In particular, it focuses on three legendary wrestlers, and their stories should provoke a wide range of emotions from every viewer. There are other stories as well, but these were generally much less interesting, and the film works best when the focus is on Mick Foley, Terry Funk, or Jake Roberts. Their stories were all compelling, and wrestling-haters who are usually so quick to dismiss this business as "fake" should take a look at this movie and see just how real it can be.