Plot: What’s it about?
Gordie Boggs (David Arquette) and Sean Dawkins (Scott Caan) don’t have what most people would consider fruitful and rewarding lives. Gordie lives with his parents and sister, all of whom are police officers and want Gordie to become the next agent in the household. Sean has just as little of a life and keeps getting rejected by the girl of his dreams. But no matter how little they have, they always have each other and they even work together. The two work as cleaners and while they make a steady paycheck, removing and transporting human waste from portable toilets isn’t exactly a dream profession. They have “crap” jobs to be sure, but they also have a common bond when it comes to their passion, professional wrestling. After a hard day’s work, the two have tickets to an event where their favorite wrestler, Jimmy King (Oliver Platt) is defending his world title. But things take a turn for the worse when King loses his title, is kicked out of the federation, and the two crash their truck they need for their work. Left with little options and even less of a future, the two decide to take fate into their own hands and find King, since he is sure to know what to do.
This is a movie about professional wrestling and while I am sure fans will be pleased with this film, I think even those who despise professional wresting will find a lot to like with this one. I’m sure some can relate can to the hilarious main characters, but I think non fans will like them because of their abundance of enthusiasm or maybe they know someone like them. You can laugh at them or with them I suppose, but these are very real characters and I know I’ve met many people just like them. But this is a hilarious romp of a film that takes the fanboy mentality to the extreme, with very successful results. The movie uses a variety of toilet humor (literally) and other forms of crude humor, so if you prefer highbrow entertainment, this isn’t the disc to pick up. Another factor is David Arquette, whose brand of comedy will divide an audience quicker than you can say blueberry pancakes. If you like his style then you’ll like this movie, but if you think he’s annoying (and many people do), then steer clear of this one. Warner has given this film the full treatment, with great audio/video and a nice selection of bonus features, so this one is an easy call. I recommend this release to all fans of comedies and professional wrestling and with a disc like this, whether you rent or purchase, your money is well spent.
This film was directed by Brian Robbins, who has a knack for light comedic films it seems. Robbins was best known for his work as Eric on Head Of The Class, but he has become a talented comedic director in the past few years. This film isn’t the type of picture that garners much praise, but Robbins uses some fantastic angles, compositions, and pulls some excellent performances from the actors involved. Robbins captures the energy and impact of the matches very well and also handles the normal, less active sequences well also. This might be lowbrow, crude humor, but Robbins gives it a nice shine and visual polish. If you want to see more of Robbins’ work I recommend Varsity Blues, The Show, First Daughter, and the classic (and M.I.A. on DVD) Goodburger. The leads in this film are played with enthusiasm by David Arquette (Scream, RPM) and Scott Caan (Varsity Blues, Enemy Of The State), who give it their all though they won’t win any awards. Oliver Platt (The Impostors, Lake Placid) steal this one though, as the drawling and hilarious Jimmy King. The cast also includes Chris Owen (American Pie, Major Payne), Martin Landau (Ed Wood, EdTv), Joe Pantoliano (U.S. Marshals, The Matrix), and Rose McGowan (Jawbreaker, The Doom Generation).
Video: How does it look?
Ready To Rumble is presented in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. As usual, Warner has delivered a superb transfer on all counts and this one easily nabs the perfect rating. This film made a rather quick leap onto DVD and as such, the print shows no grain, debris, or marks of any kind. I also found no compression problems in the least, which is always good. The colors look bold and vivid, with no bleeds at all and flesh tones appear normal and problem free also. The contrast is sharp also, no detail is obscured and shadow depth is perfect. It just doesn’t get any better than this!
Audio: How does it sound?
This is an awesome track that will have your system working overtime to keep up. The disc uses a Dolby Digital 5.1 track and you will notice the surrounds throughout the entire film. The music pulses through the speakers and sounds terrific in this mix. Even the farting & singing nuns manage to sound great in this track. The sound effects are loud and powerful and you’ll hear the impact from all directions in this one. The matches offer the best overall surround use, but even the lower key audio comes through in fine form. The dialogue isn’t buried in this mix either, as the vocals are crisp and no volume problems surface. There is also a French language track and English & French subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc isn’t labeled a special edition, but Warner has packed it chock full of bonus materials nonetheless. You’ll find the usual talent files and theatrical trailer of course, but there is much more in store after those, I assure you of that. The trailer is excellent and I think it was one of the better trailers of the time, I remember I was sold on the film the second I saw it. Also included are brief interviews with WCW wrestlers “Diamond” Dallas Paige and “Bam Bam” Bigelow, who give their thoughts on making the film and how it relates the wrestling’s real fan base. A very cool music video also makes the cut, as Bif Naked covers the Twisted Sister classic We’re Not Gonna Take It. You can watch a brief segment where actors Arquette and Scott Caan take to the mat and rumble themselves. This is a short, but very humorous clip and I am glad Warner has included it. Interviews with five of WCW’s Nitro Girls can be found on the disc also and while I didn’t care about them, maybe you will. The final and finest supplement is an audio commentary track with actors Arquette, Caan, and Ahmet Zappa, which is nothing short of riotous at times. This is the perfect track for this movie and while not much technical information can be gleaned, the humor is in full effect.
