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"READY TO RUMBLE"
(2000) (David Arquette, Scott Caan) (PG-13)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Mild Moderate Heavy None Mild
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Moderate None Minor Minor Heavy
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Moderate Minor Minor Mild Heavy


QUICK TAKE:
Comedy: After their professional wrestling idol loses his championship belt and is thrown out of the league, two of his fans set out to help him regain his fame.
PLOT:
Gordie Boggs (DAVID ARQUETTE) and Sean Dawkins (SCOTT CAAN) are two young Wyoming men who spend their days cleaning out septic tanks and porta-potties while dreaming of being like their professional wrestling idol, Jimmy King (OLIVER PLATT). Both still live at home - Gordie with his cop father who thinks his dreams of becoming a wrestler are foolish and pressures him to join the rest of the family in law enforcement - and thus when WCW Monday Nitro rolls into town, the two think they've died and gone to Heaven.

For not only do they get to see the sexy Nitro girls - including Sasha (ROSE McGOWAN) - but they also get the privilege of being in the same building as their idol. Unfortunately for them and King, WCW promoter Titus Sinclair (JOE PANTOLIANO) has decided it's time for King's reign to be over and instructs the champ's opponent, Diamond Dallas Page (DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE) to defeat him in a most physical way.

Disheartened over his loss and being thrown out of the league, King becomes a recluse, much to the dismay of the equally unbelieving and upset Gordie and Sean. After an accident causes them to believe destiny is controlling their lives, the two young men decide to seek out King and restore him to his thrown. Unfortunately, he's less than enthusiastic about the idea, but they eventually convince him and opportunistically set up a "cage" rematch with Diamond Dallas.

Realizing that they have less than a week to get King back in shape for the match, Gordie and Sean seek out the help of various people, including King's former wrestling partner, Bill Goldberg (GOLDBERG), and legendary wrestling coach Sal Bandini (MARTIN LANDAU), to prepare the ex-champ. As the big day nears, the unlikely threesome faces various obstacles while attempting to re-crown King.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're fans of professional wrestling, it's a likely bet they will.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For language, crude humor, sexual content including brief nudity, and wrestling violence.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • DAVID ARQUETTE plays a huge professional wrestling fan who idolizes King and will do anything to help his idol regain his championship title. Not the swiftest young man on the planet, he does some vulgar things with his finger and another part of his body and also apparently sleeps with Sasha as he verbally announces that he's no longer a virgin.
  • SCOTT CAAN plays his buddy and co-worker who helps Gordie and apparently has sex with a hometown girl (we see him and a young woman wrapped together in a bedspread coming out of a camper).
  • OLIVER PLATT plays a professional wrestling champion who turns out to be a wimp, although he eventually faces his fears and reenters the ring.
  • JOE PANTOLIANO plays the seedy promoter of the WCW who has a personal vendetta against King and will do whatever necessary to make sure he doesn't regain his championship title and belt. He also briefly uses strong profanity.
  • DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE plays himself, in this case King's nemesis who breaks the choreographed match by actually hitting King to defeat him.
  • GOLDBERG plays himself, a professional wrestler who eventually agrees to help King.
  • MARTIN LANDAU plays a legendary wrestling coach who likes to show the young bucks he still has the moves.
  • ROSE McGOWAN plays one of the voluptuous "Nitro Girls" who dance around in skimpy outfits during the matches. She also begins seeing Gordie only to undermine his and Sean's efforts (although it's implied that she has sex with him).
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    The following is a brief look at the content found in this comedy that's rated PG-13. Profanity consists of 1 "f" word, while other profanities and many colorful phrases are also present. Some non-explicit, sexually related comments are made, several sexual encounters take place off camera, some scantily clad women perform as "cheerleaders" of sorts, and some brief nudity occurs (all and/or part of men's bare butts).

    Faked and real professional wrestling violence occurs where people are hit, kicked, dropped and otherwise pummeled in the ring (with some bloody results) while other hitting (and many instances of men being kicked in the crotch) occurs outside the ring. Impressionable kids may want to imitate the wrestling moves/fighting or other less than savory behavior that's present and elicits laughs from the film's target audience.

    A fair amount of scatological humor is present in the form of several scenes involving people and raw sewage. Some drinking and smoking occur, while varying degrees of bad attitudes are present in various characters. Should this brief summary not answer your concerns about the film's appropriateness for anyone in your home who wishes to see this picture, you may want to check out the specifics of our more detailed content listings.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • King drinks liquor from the bottle, appears a bit tipsy, and Gordie and Sean offer to go on a beer run for him. Later, we see Gordie drinking a beer and King opening one and guzzling down part of it in one gulp.
  • King pours beer onto Gordie and Sean's faces to make them wake up.
  • Some people drink at a party outside of King's trailer, where King guzzles down some of the contents of a large jug. He then follows swallowing some raw eggs with two shots of liquor.
  • Gordie and Sasha have wine with dinner.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • During the opening credits, we see some photos/publicity stills of wrestlers whose faces are occasionally bloody.
  • To act like something's wrong with his Sugar Slush, Gordie puts his hand down the back of his pants and apparently places his finger in his rectum (he verbally confirms that's where it is). He then walks into the convenience store where he tells the clerk something's wrong with the beverage due to the smell (that the clerk then reacts to as Gordie holds the offending digit next to the cup).
  • A construction worker jokes, in a demeaning way, with Gordie and Sean about his "aim being off" in a porta-potty he's just used.
  • We see Sean sitting inside a porta-potty, but don't see any nudity or see/hear any related activity, although Gordie turns on a suction tube that nearly sucks Sean down inside the collection unit.
  • Sean and Gordie eat their lunch on the back of their septic/sewage truck as raw sewage leaks out right next to them (they ignore it).
  • King's face is somewhat bloody (from the nose, mouth and side of head) after he's been beaten in the ring.
  • Sean and Gordie's septic/sewage truck crashes and rolls over on its side, spilling its raw sewage contents onto the highway. A tractor-trailer then jackknifes and runs into the truck, sending more of the sewage spraying onto several people at the scene (we see them covered in it).
  • After getting out of a van full of nuns that traveled from Wyoming to Georgia, Gordie and Sean ask each other if they farted in the van. When both deny doing so, they come to the conclusion that it was "the farting nuns."
  • A man has some blood on his face after getting into a fight.
  • Two wrestling opponents are a bit bloody by the end of their match.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • Some viewers may not like the portrayal of women in the film (mainly as sex objects or mean and unattractive wives) or the use of hitting women as a source of comedy (Gordie flips Sasha to the floor and later punches her while emulating wrestling "moves" during their "foreplay").
  • Titus has both toward King and anyone associated with him, and threatens another wrestler by saying, "I will kill you if you f*ck this up."
  • A convenience store clerk has both toward nearly everyone he encounters.
  • A construction worker jokes, in a demeaning way, with Gordie and Sean about his "aim being off" in a porta-potty he's just used.
  • It's possible some viewers could take offense at a scene where Gordie and Sean have taught some nuns to sing the lyrics to the Van Halen song, "Running With the Devil."
  • We learn that Sasha is conspiring with Titus.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • None.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Handguns: Carried, aimed and once fired by members of Gordie's police officer family.
  • Mad about a postcard that Gordie sent him, his dad takes out his gun and fires several shots at it, putting holes in it and the fridge door it's attached to.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "Big sh*t," "Dumb sh*ts," "Sh*thouse bitch," "Idiot," "Jack ass," "Turd-lets," "Retards," "Boob" (not meaning breast), "Loser," "Sissy," "Squirrel nuts," "I'm going to open a can of whoop ass on you boys," "Jerko," "Butt fruit," "Nuts" and "Balls" (testicles), "Cut the crap," "Take a leak," "Dirt bags," "Sucks," "Ass juice," "Bitch slap," "Oh, hell yeah," "Puppy dog bitch," "Kick his ass," "Fat boy," "Jerk," "Chicks," "Scumbags," "Whore," "Freak," "I ought to kick your ass," "Piss(ed) off," "You freaking morons," "Wanky, wanky, hands off spanky," "Bite me," "Crazy old bastard," "Who's your daddy, bitch?" (said by a man to another man), "Shut up," "Penis breath" and "Booger face."
  • Kids might be inspired to imitate any number of the wrestling moves/fighting that appear(s) in the film - both in and outside the ring.
  • In a daydream, Gordie purposefully smashes his own head through the glass door of a display case in a convenience store.
  • To act like something's wrong with his Sugar Slush, Gordie puts his hand down the back of his pants and apparently places his finger in his rectum (he verbally confirms that's where it is). He then walks into the convenience store where he tells the clerk something's wrong with the beverage due to the smell (that the clerk then reacts to as Gordie holds the offending digit next to the cup).
  • King follows swallowing some raw eggs with two shots of liquor.
  • Gordie talks with his mouth full of food.
  • Mad about a postcard that Gordie sent him, his dad takes out his gun and fires several shots at it, putting holes in it and the fridge door it's attached to.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • A brief bit of comically suspenseful music plays in several scenes.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • A song had what sounded like 1 use of the "s" word, while another had the lyrics, "She's a brick…house. She's mighty, mighty, just letting it all hang out."
  • PROFANITY
  • At least 1 "f" word, 13 "s" words, 6 slang terms for/using male genitals ("D*ck," "Diddly," "Weewee," "Spanky"), 5 slang terms using female genitals ("p*ssy"), 1 slang term for breasts ("boob"), 20 asses (1 used with "hole"), 12 damns, 11 hells, 4 craps, 1 S.O.B., 7 uses of "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "G-damn," "For Christ's sakes," "Jesus," "My God," "Oh God," "By God" and "Good God" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • We see the voluptuous "Nitro Girls" on several occasions and these shapely women are dressed in small, formfitting tops (that show cleavage) and similarly tight-fitting hot pants.
  • Gordie's policeman father frisks Sean and grabs his crotch from behind him, asking, "What's this?" Sean replies, "My nuts."
  • At a fast-food restaurant's drive-through window, Gordie jokingly says (in a double entendre) that Sean wants "Whitney's taco with cheese all over it" and then one of them orders "Britney's bare ass one day."
  • King's estranged wife scratches her clothed crotch and says that all she has to remember him by is "an itchy crotch." She then asks Gordie if he's ever seen crabs (of the crotch variety) up close and he gets excited about the prospect, but it never happens.
  • We see the top part of a man's bare butt as he bends over with his pants riding down on him (and see this happen again to the same man later).
  • Gordie and Sean spy in on the Nitro girls in their changing room, and see them walking around in their skimpy bras (showing cleavage) and some in their thong like bottoms (one that shows most of one woman's bare butt).
  • Gordie poses like a poster he has of Sasha by getting on all fours and suggestively sticking his clothed butt up into the air.
  • The camera focuses in on the bodies of the Nitro Girls as they dance in unison at a party.
  • Gordie visits Sasha and she suggestively tells him, "Show me what you got, big boy" (a double entendre about his wrestling moves). Instead of doing anything sexual, however, he flips her to the floor in a traditional wrestling move. She then latter straddles him on the bed where she gives him a sexual growl, he barks back and she then says that she's going to reveal her secret weapons and takes off her top (he sees her bare breasts, but we don't). He, however, yells, "Foreign objects" and punches her. Later, though, and in voice over from a post card to his dad, Gordie states that he's not a virgin anymore.
  • During some tryouts to be part of King's wrestling "posse," a woman (who says her friends call her "pretty kitty") removes her dress to reveal herself in a skimpy bikini-like outfit that shows cleavage. A person then asks if she's going to "boob them to death."
  • After Sean gives his hometown girl a present, she says she has one for him as well and then suggestively leads him into a camper. Later, as the camper's pulling away, it suddenly stops and Sean and this woman get out, wrapped in nothing but a bedspread (although we don't see any nudity, yet). As she pulls the bedspread away to keep herself covered, however, we twice see Sean's bare butt as he turns and runs back to the camper.
  • SMOKING
  • King's wife smokes a few times while a miscellaneous man spits out some chew.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • We learn that Sean doesn't have a father (but we never know why).
  • King is estranged from his wife and adult son, but tries to make amends with them.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • The world of professional wrestling and the fans who are drawn to it.
  • The use of people being hit (especially in the crotch) and scatological material as a basis for intended comedy.
  • VIOLENCE
  • A convenience store clerk throws some kids' bikes out onto the parking lot asphalt.
  • Gordie has a fantasy where he takes a rude convenience store clerk and does some wrestling moves on him including slamming his head onto the counter and flipping him to the floor. He then imagines a pro wrestler showing up and punching him in the face, and of Jimmy King then arriving and punching that wrestler. Gordie then kicks the clerk in the crotch and he and King then take their opponents and drag them across the top of adjacent shelves in the store. More wrestling violence follows and Gordie then purposefully smashes his own head through the glass door of a display case in the store.
  • After Gordie pulled a practical joke on him, Sean opens a porta-potty door into Gordie and then tackles him onto the ground. He then picks him up over his shoulder in a wrestling move and slams him onto the ground.
  • We see some faked wrestling violence between King and Diamond Dallas that turns real when the latter delivers some real punches to King's face (along with a forearm hit there) during a match. In response, King punches his opponent several times, but Dallas then picks up King and throws him onto a table outside the ring that collapses beneath him. King then hits Dallas on the head with a metal folding chair, more hitting follows and King then kicks Dallas in the crotch. Dallas' buddies then come out, however, and beat up King and throw him from the ring. They then kick and stomp down on King and then simultaneously drop from the four corner posts down onto King.
  • Sean and Gordie's truck crashes and rolls over on its side, but they're apparently unharmed. A tractor-trailer, however, jackknifes and runs into the truck.
  • King throws a bottle that breaks through the window of his motor home.
  • After finally getting motivated, King grabs Gordie and Sean and does some wrestling moves on them in his camper (smashing them into the sides and then coming down on both with his elbows - after they beg him to "crown" them).
  • King jumps out and hits both Sinclair and Diamond Dallas with a toilet seat from a porta-potty. He then slams Dallas into the porta-potty and hits Sinclair. Gordie then tackles Sinclair, but a large man then throws Sean across a car and Gordie face first into one of its windows. King then stomps down on Dallas.
  • Sal slams King up against a wall and twists his arm to show that he has what it takes to train him. When that doesn't work, Sal pins King to the floor, but King eventually kicks Sal in the face sending him to the floor, seemingly unconscious or dead. After a momentary pause, however, Sal kicks King in the crotch and then kicks him again.
  • Gordie visits Sasha and she suggestively tells him, "Show me what you got, big boy" (a double entendre about his wrestling moves). Instead of doing anything sexual, however, he flips her to the floor in a traditional wrestling move. She then straddles him on the bed where she gives him a sexual growl, he barks back and she then says that she's going to reveal her secret weapons and takes off her top (he sees her bare breasts, but we don't). He, however, yells, "Foreign objects" and punches her.
  • Mad about a postcard that Gordie sent him, his dad takes out his gun and fires several shots at it, putting holes in it and the fridge door it's attached to.
  • Goldberg throws King backwards.
  • Sal trips two thugs looking for him and then fights them with some wrestling moves until one of them smashes a chair over him.
  • King's wife kicks him in the crotch and then does so again.
  • Some people are hit in various ways in the ring as they try out to be part of King's "posse" (and Sean bangs two men's heads together after they tried posing as Siamese twins).
  • In a match set inside three steel cages, King takes on Diamond Dallas and many real punches, kicks and other hitting occurs. Soon, more wrestlers enter the ring until it's a melee with more wrestling violence that includes King swinging a long ladder around on his shoulders and hitting people with either end of it, as well as people stomping down on one person on the mat.
  • A ladder hits a woman in the face, a person uses a trashcan to hit another person, and another does the same with a crutch.
  • A wrestler puts a noose around his opponent's neck and starts to lift him up, but then stops. One then pushes another from a cage to the one below, while another wrestler then zips along and kicks him from the cage.
  • A wrestler hits Sean, causing Gordie to plead, "Hit me too," so he does.
  • A wrestler delivers several punches to his opponent's face and then a blow is delivered to the crotch.
  • A wrestler falls through several cages stacked on top of one another until he hits the mat below.
  • Sean and Gordie beat up Sinclair, and then the crowd at a wrestling match does the same.
  • Goldberg throws a convenience store clerk through the store's glass front door.
  • During the closing credits, we see a rapid-fire succession of scenes from the film where people were kicked or hit in the crotch.



  • Reviewed April 4, 2000 / Posted April 7, 2000

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