Ready to Rumble

How do you make a fictional movie about a sport that admits to being fake and expect anyone to give a damn? The answer, as the makers of Ready To Rumble figured out, is to concentrate on the real aspects of pro wrestling: the fans and the business end. When righteous World Championship Wrestling champ Jimmy King (Oliver Platt) has his belt taken away by the ruthless and greedy WCW owner (Vince McMahon-inspired, no doubt), two rabid fans and perpetual adolescents (David Arquette and Scott Caan (James's son) decide to go to the mat for King. What they don't bargain on is that in real life King is not royalty.

Caan, who looks like every arrogant frat boy, is all wrong for his part, but Arquette has the Dumb and Dumber thing down pat. Director Brian Robbins (who gave us the underappreciated Good Burger) doesn't overdo the joyless pratfalls that take up so much of today's dumb comedies -- instead he leaves them to the humorous slo-mo-heavy wrestling scenes. And though the film overall is not very funny, you can tell that Robbins at least tried to come up with some original absurd moments. So, at the risk of having my name and the following quote plastered atop every newspaper ad for this movie, let me state: "Ready To Rumble could have been a lot worse."

-- Mark Bazer