You Cannot Kill David Arquette

I've always dug David Arquette in movies. Scream, Eight-Legged Freaks, Ready to Rumble-all childhood favorites.

But to see such a humanizing aspect of the man's personality added a depth to my appreciation of him. For growing up within an acting dynasty, to his personal struggles, and desire for nothing more than respect-dude's tough as nails.

I watched this expecting a schlocky self-parody, to shedding tears. I definitely recommend. Let's hope to see him in roles with more depth (even if I'm eagerly awaiting Scream 5).

In the early 2000s, David Arquette entered the world of professional wrestling to promote 'Ready To Rumble (2000)'. After a few matches, he received the world title in a scripted scenario designed to draw attention to the sport. This didn't go down well with most wrestling fans, who saw it as a slap in the face to not only them but also the wrestlers who devoted their entire lives getting ready to rumble. Arquette's introduction to wrestling was already seen as a Hollywood handout, a bad joke played at the expense of the true fans, but his winning of the title was the icing on the cake. Arquette was the most hated wrestler, maybe even person, in the world... at least, that's what it felt like to him. It took twenty years, but Arquette finally decided he didn't want to be taken as a joke anymore; he decided to prove all of wrestling fandom wrong; he decided to re-enter the world of professional wrestling for real.

The result of that re-entry is 'You Cannot Kill David Arquette (2020)', a documentary that details the actor's very real reintegration into the community he had been ostracised from. It's essentially a vanity piece, a portrait of a surprisingly likeable yet undeniably flawed would-be Hollywood star (that's right, Hollywood ostracised him too). Whether Arquette is picking at old wounds out of a genuine desire to finish what he started or out of a need to reactivate the relevance he believes was so cruelly stolen from him is almost irrelevant. As is the blurry line between scripted and sincere, which reflects wrestling's own sly subversions of reality. The only thing that matters is that the end result is an endearing and involving experience that takes you on a distinct journey along with its star. Arquette appears to have an honest passion for wrestling, able to list off a whole host of childhood favourites. His bitterness towards his career is balanced with his joy for the sport, the sense that he truly cares what the fans think and is only seeking to prove that he always took them as seriously as he wants them to take him. When his infectious energy is met with good faith, the wrestling sequences are surprisingly fun (unlike the stories they tell, the matches are real). When it's met with bad faith, however, they're downright upsetting. On two occasions, Arquette is subjected to a match in which his opponents seek to make an example of him, to do him harm for the damage they believe he did to their livelihoods. The worst of these sees Arquette in the hospital with a life-threatening wound on the neck, the result of a sadistic series of slashings that surely can't have been part of the plan. It's painful, unpleasant and impossible to look away from; you feel as though a friend is being hurt in front of you, but you can't do anything except will them to survive. Thankfully, these moments highlight Arquette's determination and genuine nature, while also portraying his opponents as petty and cruel. In the context of the whole journey, they're almost necessary dark points. That's because the narrative framing of the documentary makes sure to position it as a tale of redemption. Whether this reflects real life is, as always, debatable, but it sure makes for an entertaining affair. Though it sometimes lacks real drive and generally feels rather 'made for TV', the picture is an enjoyable and affecting affair throughout. It isn't overly vain or self-involved, painting Arquette and his journey in a good light (which I'm sure is its intention) without feeling false or shying away from the darker elements of either aspect. It's a good documentary that's entertaining even for those who are apathetic towards professional wrestling.

At the center of this documentary it's all about a man just trying to earn the respect of his peers. I really love how you get this inmate look into David's life with his family and everything he goes through you can see he just wants to not be a joke anymore in the wrestling industry and earn the respect of his peers in the business. throughout this doc you see him put his body through hell to earn the respect of his peers as well as redeem his self to the fans. I really love the trials and tribulations of him dealing with janky promoters to wrestling convention signings to even god damn death match with Nick Gage. One of my favorite parts of the film is when he goes to Tijuana, Mexico to train with some wrestlers. Wrestling in traffic at red lights for change evening hitting a ladder spot. So if you a fan of David Arquette or heard about the death match or even watch WCW back in the day I think you'll like this documentary. not to mention its beautifully shot. Its a solid 9/10 for me. I also have a YouTube channel where we just dropped a review for this movie would love if you guys checked it out at Matt and Garrett take the movies dropping videos every Monday @6pm EST

I can honestly say I along with thousands of other fans I never took David serious about anything. This show actually changed my mind and I have come full circle on my opinion of him as a actor and wrestler. Have to give him all the credit for going through what he did to clear his name in the wrestling community. This show was done outstanding and very well made. Its much much better than I ever would have expected and is well worth watching. Great job David on this documentary and your dedication to the sport.

Hearing about David Arquette wanting to get into wrestling sounded like a joke to me at first. Like it being a kind of fake documentary just to have some fun and draw some attention, like Joaquin Phoenix did when he said he wanted to become a hiphop rapper. But David Arquette was actually really devoted to wrestling, even as a young kid he always was fascinated by it.

Of course David Arquette was never really serious of truly becoming a wrestler, but he just wanted to experience the thrill for REAL. And it is a lot of fun watching him get ridiculed and fysically smacked around. He even got seriously injured and was escorted to the hospital by his friend Luke Perry, who later died of a stroke, which devasted David Arquette.

Concluding: this documentary is a lot of fun to watch, because David Arquette is a really funny fella. He is kind of deranged in a very pleasant kind of way, because who would dare take the chance of getting into wrestling, while just having had a heart attack a year before? David Arquette did and boy what great fun it is to watch him make a complete ass of himself. But he genuiningly enjoyed himself while doing so...