Jumping off from that quote below the trailer video, does anyone remember that while David Arquette was promoting his 2000 movie “Ready to Rumble,” he won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in a storyline stunt both he and fans of professional wrestling despised? Yup, you probably do and Pepperidge Farms DEFINATELY does, but let’s not focus on that for now…
Let’s fast-forward to 2018 — eighteen years later and just two years ago — Arquette went on a tour, wrestling multiple matches along the circuit of independent pro wrestling promotions. However, one incident during a hardcore wrestling match resulting in a severe bleeding around his neck led to him being rushed to the hospital. Like many pro wrestlers, indie or in larger promotions, the need to prove themselves is often done at the price of their lives; that same is said for David Arquette.
“You Cannot Kill David Arquette“ — a 2020 American documentary film directed by David Darg and Price James — follows actor David Arquette aiming to return to the world of professional wrestling after his acting career stalls. Though the movie’s world premiere was scheduled for the 2020 edition of South by Southwest on March 20, the “unpleasantness”/”the world being on fire” (hi, COVID-19; yes, you still suck) resulted in the cancellation of the festival. After Super LTD secured the film’s distribution rights, it was released on August 21, 2020 to drive-in theatres and digital distribution one week later on August 28.
As of now, “You Cannot Kill David Arquette“ has a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 87%, certifying the film as “Fresh”. Owen Gleiberman, in a review for Variety, gave the movie a positive review, while pointing out how well the film handles the mix between pro wrestling’s kayfabe — the portrayal of staged events within the industry as “real” or “true” — and reality, stating:
“At the end of You Cannot Kill David Arquette, we’re drawn into a wrestling narrative that the documentary wants you to believe, even as it stands on the outside looking in. Is Arquette a has-been actor trumping up his biggest failure so that he can exploit it? Or is he a lionhearted wrestler who finds triumph by going the distance? The weird thing is that there’s no difference.“
Owen Gleiberman, “Variety“
“You Cannot Kill David Arquette“ is available on Fandango Now, Google TV, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
The PractitioNERD 