Customer Reviews

The Backyard

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a wicked movie with lots of insane backyard wrestling. These kids are mostly stupid but it is great fun to watch. I always thought documentaries were boring but this film changed my mind. Highly recommended!!!

If you are not initiate to the world of backyard wrestling, this might be a good place to start, if you want to see something of the pure drive and horrors of this trend. Just like pick-up games in the dirt, youth in all corners of America are making their own wrestling federations, with of course no training outside of watching television and having a love for the game. You may say that backyard wrestling is far more dangerous than any kind of baseball or football game in the mud (especially when barbed wire and flaming tables are into play), and you wouldn't have too much of an argument from me, but the question here is how in-depth and revealing and objective this documentary is.

This film delivers a good range of proto-wrestlers, from The Lizard, who does aspire to be a proper professional wrestler (and puts his money where his mouth is and actually auditions for a WWE Tough Enough and goes to a wrestling school), to kids throwing each other on thumbtacks and slicing their own foreheads for a handful of fellow kids in their yards. Some seem like angry kids who would rather find ways to cut themselves open, and others seem totally lost and have no idea that they are working towards one day being fed through a tube. Some of them even show how their performances channel them through great pain in their lives--Scar, for example, was a sickly kid who went through mutliple surgeries when he was just a small child, and hardcore wrestling seems to give him a place to take control of his body, which was taken away from him for so many years. One boy plays out his history of abuse through his wrestling storylines, to somehow master the pain he has been put through. These are intriguing looks into some of the drives for what seems on the surface a horrifying youth trend.

But what drags me away from this movie are the thinly disguised manipulations on the moviemakers' part. When two brothers reveal to their grandmother the extent of their matches, it is clearly a moment set up for the camera, and so loses any appeal of seeing any true reaction from the grandmother. When a boy decides to arrange a match with a fellow kid who goes by the name of The Retarded Butcher, the Butcher's mom 'suddenly' shows up, again a clear arrangement by the moviemakers. Even Rob Van Dam's brief appearances in the film feel like obligatory 'counterpoint' and not a full examination of the sport vs. the backyard shindigs.

Ultimately, _The Backyard_ falls short of trusting the subject matter and has too many rough edges, and unfortunately they are not the rough edges that might cut open a scalp or two.

I have always been a wrestling fan, and when I was younger, my friends and I would often stage video-taped "matches" in our backyards and basements. We weren't pros, but at least we were aware of that fact. Nor did we brutalize ourselves the way the kids featured in this documentary do. I think the film maker did a supurb job with showing these kids and what they do without using a judgemental slant, which could have been very easy to do. The film documents various backyard "wrestling" leagues. I think the saddest story is that of two brothers who violently torcher one another in their matches as an outlet for the pain of abuse they suffered when they were younger. Also featured is a 17 year old wannabe promoter who couldn't care less who gets hurt in his events. He comes off as heartless and power hungry in this film. Other leagues are featured, including some talented, although foolish boys in England. Their fun is stopped when a bystander calls an amulance when they see the blood of a kid who thought it would look cool to "blade" himself during a match (taking a razor blade and cutting a small nick in the forehead, producing just enough blood flow to look pretty nasty) The only group that seems to come out looking good in this film is a group of college kids in upstate New York that focus on working together and being safe. (In other words, they aren't cutting each other up, setting each other on fire, nor performing dangerously high risk maneuvers)

The film primarily follows a 26 year old who uses the stage name "the lizard" in his quest to become a real professional wrestler. When he finally makes it a legitimate pro wrestling school, the film shows quite a few shots of them doing strength training and physical conditioning; thats what will save your body in the ring.

I only give this video 4 stars and not 3 because of a special feature entitled "wresling Superstar", in which a professional wrestler talks in length about how to become a pro wrestler, the importance of a good education and following your dreams, and the foolishness of the brutality many of these backyard "wrestlers" put themselves through. I think any parent who's child participates in backyard wrestling should watch this film, know whether or not their children are putting their bodies at risk, and watch the "wrestling superstar" featurette.

This is a must-see for any wrestling fan. These kids seem all inspired by ECW and do really scary things. I loved Beyond The Mat and thought that this was just as good.

For hours after watching this film, all I could think about was how hopeless some of these kids are.
This documentary on backyard wrestling is a truly great piece of work.
As a wrestling fan, I went into this film thinking that all backyard wrestlers are just stupid kids. I see now that there are definitely some different levels of stupidity.
They're all here. The kids who just want to learn some technique, to the kid who uses pain and backyard wrestling to feel better about himself, all the way to the 28 yr old who thinks that by doing body splashes through exploding tables he's assured a career in the "WWE".
This movie doesn't make me think about wrestling. It makes me think of how sad and desperate some people are.

This movie portrays backyard wrestling in horrid light, and is not an accurate representation. Not all BYW is about bleeding and crap. Some of the cats in the backyard are trained professionals who just have not found a promotion to join.

I bought this movie partially due to curiosity and mostly because the price was so good. My only complaint would be that it is not long enough. Here you get a 78 minute movie, a director's commentary and a few extras. The commentary is as funny and entertaining as the movie as the Lizard, Scar, and the director discuss the making of the documentary.

The Backyard covers the world of backyard wrestling from a number of viewpoints. We see the toll these backyard matches take on their bodies as they have matches for the local community. The Lizard is one of the main characters and he really makes the movie great. We see a young man follow his dream to become a professional wrestler. We look back at Scar's life of childhood illness and his parent's decision to allow him to make decisions for himself regarding his activity in backyard wrestling. Along the way, we see kids blading themselves to bleed and setting each other on fire. It really makes you appreciate the fine show the professionals put on for us every week when you see the mess these guys put on in their backyards.

Rob Van Dam (RVD), Mr. Pay per view, also appears in the documentary, encouraging young people to get properly trained and not beat themselves and their bodies down in the backyard doing dumb stuff, while still not being so down on them that he was discouraging them following their dreams. Overall, this is a great buy for a wrestling documentary fan or anyone interested in learning just what goes on in the backyard. This movie gives a pretty good glimpse of it from the point of view of some very fascinating individuals. Very fun movie to enjoy time and time again.

THIS INSIGHTFUL DOCUMENTARY SHOWS THE RECKLESSNESS THAT MANY YOUNG WRESTLING FANS PUT THEMSELVES THROUGH IN THE WORLD OF BACKYARD WRESTLING. WHILE BACKYARD WRESTLING IS ENTERTAINING, IT'S ALSO UNNECESSARILY DANGEROUS AND IT ALSO GETS TOO MANY PEOPLE HURT. THIS DOCUMENTARY IS THE FIRST TIME I GOT TO SEE ANYTHING DEALING WITH BACKYARD WRESTLING. AND AS THE FILM SAYS, IF YOU WANNA BE A WRESTLER, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH A TRAINING SCHOOL, THERE'S JUST NO WAY AROUND THAT. ALTHOUGH IT WAS A MOVING PIECE OF FILM, IT COULD'VE AND SHOULD'VE BEEN A LITTLE LONGER. BUT ANYWAY, IT'S GOOD FOR WRESTLING FANS TO WATCH. FOR A GREAT DOUBLE FEATURE, GET THIS WITH ''BEYOND THE MAT''. INCLUDES SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY ROB VAN DAM.

I consider myself to be a HUGE wrestling fan. However I have been raised on the WWF/WWE, I never really got into ECW all that much. I am much more into moves and storytelling and talent than that of the pure violence and bloodshed that is the Backyard Werstling set.

This movie tries to follow a few backyarders around and sort of explain to an uninformed public the "meaning" for what they do. Many think it is going to lead to a shot in a major league of the WWF...I have news for you boys (and girls) Vince doesn't recruit his guys like this.

Basically it a bunch of boys that idolize wrestling, that's all fine and good, but they are untrained individuals that are executing violent moves on either solid ground or homemade rings that can cause even more damage.

Wanting to be a wrestler is cool, but the message is lost when you see these guys abusing themselves and each other with items like light bulbs, barbed wire, glass, thumbtacks or god forbid the occasional use of lighter fluid to set objects or each other on FIRE!. All this done in front of HUGE crowds sometimes as small as 4 people. While the WWF can be critized for many things, they are never this blanantly brutal. The WWF has always been about the show...not the violence.

Most of the story focuses on a hopeful 26 year old guy named The Lizard, that dreams of entering the WWE. It's quite evident that after seeing him on camera, we as viewers know that will never happen. He lacks carisma and has such a bad command of the English language that it's laughable. His gimmick is horrible and he's skinny as all hell.

For all the wantabes in this thing, that dream of being a professional wrestler, nothing is ever said about working out, and getting in shape. AND LEARNING THE CRAFT. If they are fans they obviously don't see that Triple H, The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin, have done a lot more than smash their high school buddies in the head with Flourcent light tubes.

Even Rob Van Dam mentions on this video that no matter what you need to go professionally trained, however this is never brought up to many of the kids. The Lizard, he knows he has to go, but he's older and wiser than the rest of these guys.

I think this video really explains it all when during the very first segment on 2 brothers that have a match vs. each other goes very wrong. Instead of landing on his back and shoulders, this guy gets dumped right on the back of his head and neck...OUCH! It is the furthest thing from professional wrestling you can get. This video makes me feel bad that I watch wrestling, becuse to people that don't know any better, they think it's all like this.

I'll take my WWE over this crap anyday. I don't agree with the movie, but it's worth it to see kids destroying their bodies before they finish puberty.

Leave this stuff to the professionals...Watch Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar from No Way Out 2004! or any match with Kurt Angle! That's profesional wrestling.

I absolutely loved this DVD. It shows how much some of these teenagers really want to become profesional. I also really hope the Lizard makes WWE. I reccomend this to anyone! Just makee sure a stupid idiotic nagging cousin isn't near you while your watching it.