MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

SnoopyStyle Wrestling fan Barry W. Blaustein makes a documentary on his favorite subject. It starts with Vince McMahon at the head of World Wrestling Federation. He interviews old timer Terry Funk, popular Mick Foley, troubled Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, and many others.Terry Funk's body is broken. It's well beyond recoverable. He's a man running on fumes. Luckily, he's surrounded by a loving family. The same can't be said of Jake. He's lonely with a dysfunctional family relationship. This movie gives a compelling first layer of his multi-layered family story. The third main story looks at Mick Foley. His kids are adorable. His daughter's reaction at his fight with The Rock is distressing. It's utterly memorable. The one missing element is a more in-depth look into the prevalence of drugs in wrestling. Jake 'The Snake' offers a nice inroad into the subject. I wish Blaustein could dig deeper.

Terryfan When you want to show anyone what the world of Pro Wrestling to anyone who has been curious about it.Then Beyond The Mat is the way to go because it was produced, written and directed by Barry Blaustein who is said in the movie to have grow up a huge fan of Pro Wrestling.Years later he was inspired to find out why these men and women became Pro Wrestlers and when you watch this movie you get to see the rare world that we as wrestling fans hardly get to see.We get a behind the scene look at what makes wrestling, Wrestling you get Indy promotions as well as ECW Extreme Championship Wrestling and The WWF The World Wrestling Federation.Beyond The Mat also gives us some rare looks into the lives of the wrestlers we grew up with along with seeing what's it like for them, you get to see Mick "Mankind" Foley, The Rock, Terry Funk, Jake The Snake Roberts and many more pro legends. Along with seeing some rare footage of wrestling events there is just so much you can love as a fan of Wrestling and if you're not a fan you'll get a better understanding of why they chose this line of work. Beyond The Mat is the one wrestling film that gives the sport justice and it came from a fan which makes it much more better.If you haven't seen this movie you have to because it is classic I give Beyond The Mat A 10 out of 10

Cosmoeticadotcom One of the oldest filmic clichés is that there's nothing sadder than an old boxer, a washed up pug. To that I might state that only an old wrestler is sadder. After all, wrestling is not a true sport- it's a violent theatrical production, and there is not much at stake for the viewers. As for the wrestlers, themselves….that's where this documentary from 2000 comes in. Directed by first time auteur Barry Blaustein it chronicles the re-rise of pro wrestling to prominence in the late 1990s- the era that saw Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Cactus Jack become celebrities of a greater nature than any of their forebears, like Killer Kowalski, Dusty Rhodes, Bruno Sammartino, or Hulk Hogan. The film starts off as an exploration of the men behind the 'names', yet it makes a mistake right off the bat, by billing itself as an exposé of the sport, a film that 'Vince McMahon doesn't want you to see'. McMahon, to those in the know, is the owner of the largest wrestling league in the nation- the WWE, then the WWF, but there's little in the film to suggest that this is a tell-all. There are some wrestlers with gripes, and we see tales of failed lives, and failed wrestling circuits, like the ECW and WCW (long since bought out by the WWE), and McMahon's league certainly has a history of dealing in drugs (steroids, etc.- as the aforementioned Hogan testified against him in a highly publicized trial in the early 90s), as well as being shamefully anti-union, and not caring of its performers (not long after the film's release one of its wrestlers- Owen Hart, of a well-known wrestling clan- was killed in a spectacular fashion while performing, and the film acknowledges that one of its minor characters, Droz, was paralyzed not long after the film was completed), but all of this is public knowledge, and old news.What works, though is the portrait of the biz the film portrays, and the three main wrestlers whose lives it follows…. The film has its moments of poignancy and insight, but they are too few and far between. A more pristine and jaded eye would have been necessary, and a more ballsy approach to the subject matter, to gain a following outside the 'choir' of pro wrestling. Still, since I go to those pews, every few years, I think it's a must see for any wrestling fan. The game has changed much during the decades, yet, in a sense, it hasn't changed at all. Whether good or bad is the crux, and what this film es on.

babyspicestalker I will never forget the day I first saw this documentary, it was a big breath of fresh air. Wrestling was at its height at it was becoming more and more like a soap opera (more than usual). Seeing that their were still some workhorses in the industry was a great thing to see. However Mick Foley was truely the star of this documentary, Jake the Snake takes a close second though, both athletes opening their lives up to the audience in a way that some might actually find disturbing. As in most documentaries, their are elements of sadness, humor, and seriousness, this documentary gives you all of that and really lets you feel like your on the inside of an industry that shows a shiny exterior but really contains a painful tarnished interior.Most of the wrestlers you see on the documentary, make alot of money, however, they go through alot for the money they make. This documentary proves it. If your a fan who wants to get a closer look into your favorite "sport", or a person who wants to see what all the hub bub is about, this documentary is for you. Enjoyable all the way 9 out of 10