350 Days

A brutally honest look at the early days of wrestling and the price the wrestlers paid for glory. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The number of wrestlers that are featured in it is amazing and their honest and sometimes shocking recollections of what they went through day in and day out on the road is truly mind blowing. This film really gives the viewer a look behind the pomp and circumstance of the early days of professional wrestling allowing you to see the pain and sacrifice that these larger than life showmen and women endured to entertain and amaze their fans. You don't have to be a wrestling fan to enjoy this as the humanity on display will strike a chord with anyone who watches it. I highly recommend this film.

This is a solid show for those that remember the old days but aren't hardcore fans. You'll learn little if you're a big fan, but if not, it may be eye opening. Overall a well made look at the business with some interviews with people that have died since.

The glitz and glamour of professional wrestling is undeniable. Those figures become "gods among men" of sorts who are idolized by thousands of screaming fans every night. What one doesn't always see, however, is that grueling, overwhelming travel schedule that those wrestlers are subjected to. That is the focus of this documentary.

Basically, the premise here is that wrestlers spend 350 days on the road each year, a ridiculous grind that makes family life basically impossible and promotes drug use, promiscuity, and alcoholism. Wrestlers such as Bret Hart, Greg Valentine, Paul Orndorff, Superstar Billy Graham, Superfly Jimmy Snuka, and Ted DiBiase (to name just a very few...many wrestlers "poke their head in" to offer brief thoughts) are interviewed about what it was like travelling from place to place in vans, buses, and airplanes and what that experience did to them personally.

I ultimately think that one's overall enjoyment of "350 Days" will come down to how many other wrestling docs they have watched. For someone like myself, who scopes out anything related to the topic, there really isn't a ton of new information. It is great to hear from "the old gang" again, but nothing really groundbreaking in terms of new material. For those who may be a bit newer to this sort of material, though, it might be more eye-opening in terms of the lifestyle that pro wrestling engenders.

What will pique the interest of all viewers, however, are some of the dichotomies present within the information. For example, though all the wrestlers bemoan the physical pain and time on the road that just comes from the profession, almost to a man everyone wouldn't change anything or would go back and do it again. Also, while some individuals blame the travel/lifestyle for their wild behaviors, others (like Lanny Poffo) take full responsibility. It is interesting to hear how these old wrestlers process their past behaviors.

Overall, this is a fine little documentary about the world of professional wrestling. As I've said, the "mileage may vary" a bit depending on your previous knowledge of the subject, but either way it is still a solid piece of work. Just seeing some of the "old gang" on camera again is largely worth the watch alone.

350 Days has a group of old ex wrestlers talking about their time in the wrestling business. However the documentary isn't about their matches and time in the ring, its about their life on the road, getting from town to town to wrestle and the struggles they faced. To reconfirm, if your big wrestling fan type who visit's wrestling websites and reads wrestlers biographies, there's probably not a lot of new information in this documentary. But the wrestlers do talk openly about drug use, sexual affairs, fans and family life. There is a good assortment of wrestlers in this documentary, including former champs like Superstar Billy Graham and Bret Hart who were at the top level of the pro wrestling business at some point. Its interesting to see the wrestlers away from the lights and ring, and casually talking about their memories. Some wrestlers come off as quite articulate and intelligent, while others cant resist in hamming it up. Some wrestlers like to tell stories and add parts in to make it sound more exciting of funny, whether all the tales that are told here are all authentic or not who knows? I do get the feeling that most stories told here were true. This documentary seems to draw a lot of inspiration from Darren Aronofsky's movie The Wrestler (2008).

Like the first reviewer said, if you were/are a real wrestling fan, you won't learn much here. But it was nice to see guys like Ox Baker and Abdullah The Butcher talk about the old days. It's a well done documentary that will make you feel like you're 10 again.