Customer Reviews

Reversal

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm a former high school wrestler who loved my sport. I'm only aware of three movies made in the last 20-30 years about wrestling-Take Down with Lorenzo Lamos, Vision Quest, and now Reversal.

I was very excited when I found out that there was another movie made about wrestling. However, I would caution someone to rent Reversal before buying it.

A blurb from Olympian Carl Lewis says this is a "family film." It's not. I'm glad I didn't watch it with my children. It shows teens smoking marijuana and underage drinking, conversations between boys about sex, a teen buying condoms while hitting on an older lady, and some mild profanity. The movie is fine to watch if teens are older, but it's not for children.

In my opinion, Reversal is more about a "coming of age" movie where the protagonist happens to be a wrestler than a movie about wrestling.

This is an independent film so, the screen play, soundtrack, and acting were a little less than professional. However, the extra features are really good. For example, the producer/writer and the main actor meet with a fitness trainer and nutritionist that puts them on a six day workout for wrestlers and an eating plan to keep one's weight in check and energy level up. This is worth buying the movie and keeping it. In fact, I intend to watch this section a second time and take notes.

To be honest, when I first saw this movie I wasn't expecting much and the truth is that I was blown away. This is certainly the best Independent film I have seen and would highly recommend it to anyone, especially those who have a desire to live their dreams through their children. The cinematography is tremendous, acting first class, and story exceptional. I reviewed the movie for a couple of web sites around a year ago, ...and loved it. The DVD is also an exceptional value with all of the extra features that have gone into it. I give the movie 5 deserving stars, it not only entertains, it provides value regards the development of parental relationships. Beware that not everyone in the movie is perfect, this is not a Disney family, it is a real family with real struggles and real problems. That is one of the beautiful things about the movie though. Most every parent will appreciate this movie. Whether they know the sport of wrestling or not can relate to the characters. In the tradition of Searching for Bobby Fisher and every bit as good, this movie will cause parents to ponder the relationship they have with their children. It goes a step further however in that it also provides insights for the children as to why their parents often drive them to the extent they do. This movie made it to my top 100 list of all time and will rank on my top 10 list for this last year. Enjoy it and learn from it...

The Keystone Kid

First off, I liked this movie. The problem lies in the way it looks at the sport of wrestling. The movie was endorsed by many great wrestlers and so I assumed it would provide a brilliant look at the determination and effort it takes to excel at the sport, while also showing the hardships that most wrestlers face but overcome. Instead, I felt like I was watching a two-hour bashing of my favorite sport.
Wrestling is a hard sport, everybody knows that. In this movie, however, we get the story of a kid who hates what he is doing so much that his only way to move on is to quit or maybe even die. I don't want this message sent about the sport of wrestling. I was a college wrestler myself, and though I hated cutting weight and constantly practicing, I love the sport and can never repay it for the person that it has made me.
For these reasons, I feel like the people who watch this movie will have a jaded view of what the sport is all about. I prefer Vision Quest as a movie that makes you feel good and proud to see a winner. Though Vision Quest is a little corny, at least Louden Swayne has the convictions to know what he wanted, even when everyone told him it couldn't be done. Now that is the story of a hero.

I have watched Reversal twice. I have a grandson in wrestling and love to watch him compete. The movie made me realize that wrestling is a great sport to build character and the movie told a great story of the love and conflict between the father and the son. I recomend Reversal to anyone who has children who participate in sports. It's well worth the time.

Gloria Greenberg

Even as a non-wrestler, I enjoyed this film. It has a compelling father-son story that elevates it above being a sports movie. That being said, the wrestling was some of the best sports action that I have seen on film in its raw but technical feel. The photography in this film was good, but the movie does feel at time like a good effort from film school, especially in the pacing. I was not expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised and moved by the story. It is far better than most big studio productions, despite a few imperfections.

This film works on many different fronts. In one instance it can be viewed as a tribute to the sport of wrestling. It could also be seen as a cautionary tale about parents putting their own wishes over their childrens' needs. On a deeper level it brings to light issues about abuse, and the psychological trauma it leave on the victims. Critics and fans alike have praised this film for many different things, and many valid messages are expressed through this seemingly simple story about a high-school wrestler and his father/coach coming to terms with one another.

As other reviews have mentioned, the wrestling action is very authentic. By using real collegiate wrestlers (instead of actors pretending to wrestle) the matches show off the speed, intricacy, and awesome physical demands required of the sport.

The wrestling mindset is also heavily explored here, with mantras like "hard work always pays off" and "the world is better for winners", writer/producer/cast member Jimi Petulla details the mental aspects of motivation, desire, and focus in a sport which is so unsympathetic about dividing the winners from the losers. Petulla plays the main character's father, who after feeling emotionally deserted by his own father, seeks to build his own son into an undisputed winner and champion who will not suffer the same pitfalls and frustrations he has had to endure in life.

The cinematography highlighting a small Pennsylvania coal-mining town is beautifully done, and the natural dialog between the characters enhances the realistic setting of Anytown, USA. One gets the feeling that this same story has been played out countless times in small towns across the country, and will continue to repeat itself as long as fathers & sons & sports exist.

One complaint I had was with the unclear motivation of the main character's rival (who I belive is played by a national chamption at 119lbs.). In some scenes he appears to be a compassionate team-player, and other times he appears as a cold, calculating aggressor willing to trample on his teammates to fullfill his own agenda. Perhaps that duality was meant to show the struggle that some wrestlers have in switching on and off the competitiveness instilled within them. Aggression on the mat is to be tempered by being a gentleman and good citizen off the mat - this is something I think most wrestling coaches preach, and Petulla displays that wonderfully through pep-talks to his peewee wrestlers and his own son early on in the film.

I would have liked to see more of the wrestling action, but utimately this film is not about wrestling alone. Also, I would have liked to see the alternate ending make the final cut, however the quality of the film and its unconventional ending left me satisfied in a bittersweet way.

Being a former wrestler and now a father of three wrestlers, this movie meant a great deal to me. The wrestling action was authentic ( a first in the industry!), the story was gripping and the acting was superb. I also listen to the soundtrack on cd for easy listening and to help motivate my young wreslers on our way to a competition. The story is set in a beautiful area of our country and the fall season scenery was breathtaking. In our circle of wrestling families, the movie was received with mixed emotions, only because of its honesty in how it dealt with the sport of wrestling and some of its more unpleasant aspects. The movie was honest and that is what is important. And , even more important is the fact that this movie portarys how not to deal with the issue of weight loss and the most important point of all . . . how valuable, significant and long-lasting are the bonds between a father and a son and the fact that we should never, ever take them for granted. Thanks, Reversal, for an awesome movie that I am proud to have in my library.

I'm a former wrestler myself and was very impressed with the raw and realistic portrayals in this movie.

It's not your Vision Quest, pinning Shute, yay for the good guy style movie, all glitz and glamour with a happy, feel good, obvious ending. It's a movie that deals with wrestling and sports in general on a different level. It especially focuses on the trend that seems prevalent nowadays of parents pushing their kids into sports and pushing too hard. It's a road that a lot of us will have to face when we become parents and want to live vicariously through our own kids.

It is a good movie for someone who wants to learn more about what wrestling really is outside the practice room. It shows that often times the toughest opponent a wrestler will face isn't the guy he's actually wrestling but the scale. Anyone who has wrestled can immediately empathize with this and outsiders will see how much more there is to the sport than two guys rolling around on the mat. The battles with weight loss have put the sport into a critical spotlight and this film helps show you some of the mental reasoning that goes in on a wrestler's mind and why they are willing to go through the pain and sacrifice.

Like I mentioned, in the end you don't feel your typical happy closure, you feel introspection, you question, you scrutinize, you think. Kudos to a movie that can have this kind of profound effect!

In a world fraught with movies about baseball, basketball, and football, it's great to see a good movie about wrestling. The wrestling action in the movie was great and edge-of-your-seat tense. The story of the father-son relationship was well done and heart-felt..the son trying to please his dad while trying to follow his own dreams...the dad trying to live his life and his failures through his son. It's a great story...and a great movie. The DVD includes all sorts of extras and behind-the-scenes stuff that's really interesting and good to watch.

Reversal is a fantastic film about sacrificing all to be the best. It is allot more than just a great sports movie, it is about a touching father and son relationship that really makes you appreciate parents trying to do what they think is best for their children.

Even not being a sports fanatic, I appreciate this movie on so many levels. It makes me realize the sacrifices people make to be the best at what they do.

The wrestling action is great and truly realistic, there were many moments watching the DVD that I replayed the wrestling action and watched it again and again.

This DVD is a must for every family, the added features on the DVD make this a must have in any DVD collection.