I went and saw The Iron Claw tonight with my brother and thought I’d share my thoughts. Unless you’re completely unaware of the movie or family involved, I’d say this is a non-spoilery post.

Taking it in as a sports drama, I think it did a fantastic job. Yeah, I felt weird going in knowing that Chris wasn’t in the movie, but by the end I understood why the filmmakers made the decision, even if I still feel a little weird about it.

I got the impression they didn’t have the biggest budget, but worked well within it. After all, the focus is so much on the acting, that it doesn’t matter that it’s not a flashy movie. Speaking of the acting, I was impressed by Zac Efron. Lily James actually felt important as Kevin’s wife, Pam, and kind of grounded portions of the story. I was also surprised by how much it made me care about Mike. I really enjoyed that actor.

If you’re a stickler for facts, you might struggle watching the movie. The timing of some events is a bit wonky, but worked well for a drama. If you can turn off that part of the brain, ignore things like ring rope colors, I think you’ll enjoy the movie a lot.

As far as the common complaints from wrestling fans that I’ve seen: while a lot of Fritz’s worst actions aren’t shown, I don’t think audiences won’t be horrified by him. Some people near me gasped at some of the stuff Fritz said. And the Ric Flair stuff seems a bit overblown now that I’ve seen it. Ric Flair shows up for a short time and it’s just not a perfect impression (and a bad wig). Meanwhile, I was captivated by the Harley Race segment.

I plan on recommending it to drama, and especially sports drama, fans. And I wouldn’t mind buying it once it’s out. If you’re susceptible to ear worms, you’ll probably get some of the music stuck in your head.

And happy new year, everyone!