READY TO RUMBLE

Susan Granger’s review of “READY TO RUMBLE” (Warner Bros.)

Here’s a quiz: Do you really believe that pro wrestlers fight a legitimate bout? Do you consider them “superior athletes, superior men”? Do you feel that women are mindless sex objects who just love to be punched in the face? Are you easily amused by bodily emission humor and scatological jokes? What about leaving your partner with an itchy crotch as a memento of a marriage? If you answered ‘yes’ to any or all of the above, you’re the target audience for this lamebrained comedy. David Arquette and Scott Caan play upwardly mobile portable-toilet maintenance workers in Lusk, Wyoming, who worship Jimmy (The King) King of World Championship Wrestling, citing him as “the greatest wrestler of all time.” So when the pudgy King (Oliver Platt), clad in a studded black leather body suit, loses his crown in a bloody double-cross by his sleazy manager, they set out on a quest to return him to what they believe is his rightful throne. Not the Porto-San throne, of course, but that kind of confusion is typical of the on-screen humor penned by Steven Brill and directed with stomping, smackdown overkill by Brian Robbins. And it doesn’t much matter to anyone that, outside the ring, King is a boozing, deadbeat dad who stole his poor parents’ motor home. If you’re into this sport, you’ll recognize Diamond Dallas Page, Bill Goldberg, Bam Bam Bigelow, Konnan, Kidman, Sting, Juventud Guerrero, Disco Inferno Saturn, Sid Vicious. Martin Landau, Joe Pantoliano and Rose McGowan collected salaries as supporting players but don’t bet on mention of this “credit” on their resumes two years from now. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Ready to Rumble” is a crude, mind-numbing 3, packed with low blows. It’s about as much fun as a low kick to the groin.

03
Scroll to Top