Kayfabe Movie Review

It has taken many tries, but for the first time a wrestling comedy has been done right. This movie is the professional wrestling equivalent of Spinal Tap. In an hour-and-a-half of a movie with make-believe characters, I was more interested in the outcome of the final match in this movie than I have been in any main event TNA has done in quite some time. And unlike The Wrestler, the match doesn't end with you guessing how the battle ends.

Kayfabe tells the story of an independent wrestling federation in Canada that is going out of business after 60 years performing in front of packed houses of less than 100 people. The roster of characters contains almost every type of stereotype of wrestler imaginable. There is the veteran that made it to the big time, the rookie, the cranky promoter, the wrestler that can't figure out how to cut a promo, and the performer that seemingly really enjoys the homo-erotic element of professional wrestling.

When the promoter goes missing, it is up to the veteran champion to take over the book and everyone has their opinion of what they should be doing. This leads to some humorous conversations and the problem being solved by the most unlikely of characters in the movie.

While the movie aspires to be the wrestling equivalent of Spinal Tap, unfortunately the actors in this movie don't have the comedic pedigree of the actors in that cinematic masterpiece. However, while watching this movie I felt like I did when I was watching the movie Clerks for the first time. The movie had that same vibe and succeeded in-part because of the combination of the cast of unknowns and the lack of a big budget.