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Movie review: Fake It So Real

Follow a 24-year-old first-year wrestler as he learns the ropes

Courtesy of Robert Greene

By Lindsay Ross

March 4, 2011 | 12:00 a.m. CST

Director Robert Greene likes to keep it in the family. He made his True/False debut last year with Kati with an I, a film starring his half-sister. This year he’s back with a documentary that features his cousin, who is one of the independent wrestlers followed in this never-before-screened film. Fake It So Real tracks the wrestlers in the week leading up to one of their shows.

The wrestlers are part of the Millennium Wrestling Federation in Lincolnton, N.C. Independent wrestling is considered amateur professional; people pay a small sum, usually $5, to see the show, but wrestlers are paid little or no money to perform. As one Millennium wrestler put it, the best you could hope for in terms of payment is “$20, a hot dog and a slap on the ass.” The performers provide lowbrow entertainment for working-class people: The crowd is comparable to what you’d expect at a monster truck rally or state fair.

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The film opens with a close-up of a man in the wrestling ring being choked from behind. Similar images follow, and with the addition of a few guttural grunts here and there, the tone of the documentary is effectively set. The documentary expertly captures the endearing qualities of the featured men, who otherwise might be viewed as crude rednecks. Each is on a journey to overcome a personal struggle, whether it is a bad breakup or a health problem, as is the case of the director’s cousin, Chris Baldwin or “Chris Solar.”

Gabriel Croft, the 24-year-old rookie, emerges as the undeniable star of the film. As he constantly seeks the approval and advice of the veterans, his overeager attitude and seriousness about his stage character make him relatable and endearing to the audience, even if it makes him the butt of many jokes among the group.

The excellent natural sound captured adds to the raw feeling of the film, and the groans, smacks and bodies pounding the mat make the audience members feel as if they’re ringside for all the action.

Like many sports-themed movies, Fake It So Real ends up not being merely about wrestling: It’s also about the close-knit relationship of the men who pray together minutes before a show and then proceed to beat the crap out of each other in the ring. Viewers in no way need to be wrestling enthusiasts to enjoy this film. And even if the body slams and blood might seem cringe-worthy to some, the audience will leave the theater with a better understanding of — and perhaps even newfound respect for — these face-painting, tights-wearing, surprisingly charismatic men.

Vox Rating: V V V V

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