You Cannot Kill David Arquette

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...

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

Enjoyable Documentary.. David is eccentric but very entertaining, wrestling fans should enjoy

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.

Having been friends with people that actively watched wrestling-from WWE, WCW and even ECW-the very mention of David Arquette's name was not especially relevant. To my friends, there were far worse things than David Arquette winning a title. There was the mystery of Owen Hart, the Montreal Screw Job, Randy Savage turning his back on Hulk Hogan, Chris Benoit, and even a wide assortment of terrible costumes and ideas. There was even a one legged wrestler named Zach Gowan who took more punishment than any other fighter in history. "God" even headlined a match once. They even had a stereotyped handicap wrestler named Eugene. David Arquette was bad in the eyes of wrestling fans, but c'mon. Brock Lesnar threw a one-legged wrestler down a flight of stairs and even knocked over his stretcher once....in front of the wrestler's mom. Jay Leno won a fight for crying out loud.

For me, the absolute anger caused by Arquette was palpable. Who wouldn't want to be heavyweight champion? Anyway, the grudge carried by wrestling fans was real, so real that Arquette took it upon himself to bring pride and honor to his name....even if no one really witnessed the journey.

The documentary starts off weird enough. Arquette is a typical dad bod with multiple kids, including a daughter that is embarrassed by everything he does within a metric kilometer from her. An epiphany hits Arquette after getting beat up at a backyard wrestling "event." The road paved with fluorescent tube shards and push pins would have to be traversed, with or without shoes.

Arquette trains in Mexico, Virginia and even sets up a ring in his back yard (much to the chagrin of his wife) to prove this is for real. He goes through the motions, winning, losing and even nearly losing his life (which that entire part was eye popping). In the end, he is named one of the 500 best wrestlers in the world, earns respect from those that chastises him and even gets to live out a fetish fantasy.

Now the first half of the film is bizarre. It felt like this was a joke being played out for fun but when we see Arquette cry over a signed mask from a luchador fighter-which is an honor-we fully understand this is for real. Of course, the instant Harvey Levin shows up in TMZ clips, you know this is real life.

The second half of the film has some really deep life affirming stuff, and I will not ruin it for the reader. But be ready, for you will be surprised and saddened. I'm sure David Arquette thought this film would be just a fun idea and an interesting look into his own soul. Instead, it became a fascinating character study shaped in real life. Bravo Mr. Arquette...bravo.