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Review of You Cannot Kill David Arquette

David Arquette is a man who has gone from the heights of popularity to a Hollywood afterthought but, unbeknownst to most, he's also a man that earned the hatred of an entire subculture and was deemed one of its most destructive elements. Yes, for millions of people David is not only that guy that used to be in movies but he's the downfall of a prized illusion. It was his role in that catastrophe, and his dedication to it, that damaged his professional career and made him go from red carpet darling to industry joke. Add to that chemical dependence, a bad heart, and a slew of psychological issues and you have a man fighting against a tide to try to keep his head over water. This is where "You Cannot Kill David Arquette" finds the affable actor and, in all honesty, makes its initial master stroke by giving us the ultimate underdog to cheer for.

The documentary follows David as he sets out on a journey to redeem the one moment that changed his entire life...the moment he became WCW Heavyweight Champion and essentially insulted an entire business. Any wrestling fan knows this watershed moment as one of the key turning points in the industry but to the average Joe this hardly registered. For an untrained outsider to win something that was the linchpin of an entire form of storytelling and mythology was a spit in the face of everyone that valued that form of entertainment. What is amazing about this doc is how it makes the non-fan understand the gravity of David's unintentional faux pas and, in turn, its effects on him as a person. Better yet, it makes you root for him as he struggles to shake off the aftermath. The David Arquette of this film is a man in utter need to claim something as a victory and so he sets off to right the wrong that set his life in disarray by attempting to earn his place in wrestling history as a beloved figure instead as an absolute pariah.

And so, an unfit and deeply damaged individual sets on a path that takes him from backyard wrestling bouts, to locker rooms full of amateurs and professionals out for his blood, to the land of lucha libre, and more. Along the way David's love for the very industry that reviles him becomes your love for it (even if you're not a wrestling fan) and his desire to earn respect is not only something you root for but something you absolutely want for him as it seems to the be sole thing keeping him out of the darkest places in his life. The ups are highs that elate the viewer and the downs will come with a grim shadow of realization that even a movie can't paint over the realities of life. By the end of the movie, you'll love David Arquette and want only the best for him. I promise you.

If you've never understood why people are so passionate about wrestling this documentary will probably finally enlighten you. Not only does it provide a peak behind the curtain of the industry but the movie as a whole is much like a wrestling show part work and part shoot. That is to say, storytelling and narratives are in play as much as reality. The movie works you like a storyline in wrestling would. It plays with your emotions by mixing reality with fabrication to create a result. In a way, the documentary is a love letter to the art of wrestling. You'll see moments created for camera pay off in reality. You'll see an illusion created and then revealed. If you're a fan of wrestling, this will please you to no end. If you're new to it, it will fascinate you about an entire business and art.

"You Cannot Kill David Arquette" is not only a great documentary about wrestling...it might just be the best one I've seen on it. Both an homage to what makes wrestling work and an ode to the burning passion that fans and wrestlers both have for the pastime. Better yet, the doc is the tale of the ultimate underdog trying to come out on top against all odds. Arquette lays bare his soul, warts and all and he is, like any good wrestling character, the only thing you'll want to cheer for. It's an emotional ride. Funny at times, tragic at others, and always fascinating. I cannot recommend this one enough. I give this documentary 10/10.
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Added by Movie Maniac
3 years ago on 13 September 2020 19:58