"Beyond the Mat" takes a superficial behind-the-scenes look at professional wrestling with a disappointing conglomeration of the spectacle and the performers and few hard facts. The film gets schmaltzy over the big guys as it shows their human side which we could all pretty much guess anyway...the good and the bad. What it doesn't show is ring death stats, injury stats, CT scans and medical reports (except for some knee x-rays), wrestling politics, corruption and payoffs, drug abuse (except one bit on coke), insurance issues, contract fine print and exploitation, the ex-wrestler paraplegic or homeless person, sex with groupies, and all the stuff one would expect of an expose or investigative report. What we do learn is Blaustein really likes wrestling and it shows in his this one-sided perspective. Fodder for WWF fans and the like. (C)
Review of Beyond the Mat
