Beyond the Mat (1999)
★★★★ — Beyond the Mat (1999)
Barry W. Blaustein was best known as a comedy screenwriter (Coming to America, Boomerang) before turning his camera on the world of professional wrestling for this modest but revealing documentary. Shot on a shoestring budget of around $500,000, the film gained unusual access to the WWF and its talent at a curious crossroads moment, the late 1990s "Attitude Era" when wrestling was enjoying a mainstream commercial peak even as many of its performers were quietly falling apart. Lionsgate and Imagine Entertainment backed the project, though Vince McMahon reportedly grew hostile to the finished cut after seeing how his promotion and its wrestlers were portrayed. The film received only a limited theatrical release but found a much wider audience through home video.
One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. I'm a huge fan of wrestling and this was one of the first times that the curtain was lifted in one of the biggest ways. With an unprecedented look at the inner workings of the WWE and the wrestlers within, it's interesting, it's heartbreaking at times.... A must see for any pro wrestling fan.
Rating: ★★★★ | Year: 1999 | Watched: 2025-06-15
Where to watch (US)
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Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Barry W. Blaustein: The Ringer (2005)
More from the 1990s: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · Blue (1993) · Cemetery Man (1994)
More documentary: Letter from Siberia (1957) · Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Style Wars (1983) · Here and Elsewhere (1976)
