Ever wondered what Grosse Pointe Blank would have been like if, instead of the guy being a hitman, the girl was a pro-wrestler? Well, no, I can’t say that’s something I’ve ever given much thought to either. Nonetheless, that’s pretty much what we have in Chokeslam, a Canadian indie rom-com from director/co-writer Robert Cuffley. It’s a tale of lost love, twentysomething angst and small town eccentricity, with a little extra spandex and fishnets thrown in for good measure; and while the results aren’t exactly a TKO, they won’t leave you begging to tap out either. (I am doing okay with the wrestling analogies? I’m not really that well-versed in the subject.)
Chris Marquette (an actor who came close to the big time in the 2000s with Freddy Vs Jason and Fanboys, but sadly hasn’t quite managed to break big thus far) is Corey, a 28-year old who still lives with his mother and works at a deli counter, having singularly failed to do anything significant with his life. He has his reasons, though; his senior year at high school left him a broken man in more ways than one, as his then-girlfriend Sheena (Amanda Crew) left town to pursue a career as a pro-wrestler. Things did not end well between them, Corey didn’t respond to this in the best way, and he’s never quite recovered. However, a decade on Sheena’s not doing too hot herself, after some rather public scandals have seen her brand tainted and her spotlight taken away. Desperate for some good publicity, she agrees to make a personal appearance at the ten year high school reunion – which presents Corey with his first opportunity to see her in all that time. He may hold out hopes that this could rekindle the old spark between them, but is it really going to do anything but open up old wounds?
Comedies involving wrestling don’t necessarily have the best track record (the first one that comes to mind is 2000’s Ready To Rumble, which I haven’t seen since its release but seem to recall being underwhelmed by), so on the one hand we might be forgiven for expecting Chokeslam to be a crass dick-and-fart joke affair, with a side order of voyeuristic sleaze given it centres on a female wrestler. On the other hand, we’ve since seen female wrestling utilised to a slightly more high brow, feminist-friendly effect in Netflix’s GLOW (although, as a 2016 production, Chokeslam predates this), so we might instead anticipate something closer to that. For the most part, though, Chokeslam is something else entirely, a sensitive rom-com that has its share of yucks and belly laughs, but also isn’t afraid to get serious. Happily, thanks to the calibre of the cast and the quality of Cuffley and Jason Long’s script, the more dramatic elements are handled very effectively. At a glance, some might complain of the typical movie double standards as regards the central relationship; no disrespect to Marquette, but the athletic and beautiful Crew is clearly out of his league. However, the couple’s history is fleshed out in a manner that’s believable and easy to relate to, and the actors play well off one another, coming off as plausible ex-high school sweethearts.
In truth, Chokeslam’s main problem may be that the more grounded, serious stuff plays far better than everything else, which might be a bit of an issue given this is being sold first and foremost as a comedy about wrestling. Marquette, to his credit, does a good job of getting regularly knocked on his arse, but many of the supporting characters fall into broader, more two-dimensional comedy tropes. For a while, this threatens to be the case with Michael Eklund as Luke; in a bit of 21 Jump Street-esque device, he’s the former popular jock who winds up unexpectedly becoming best friends with the nerdy loser, and a lot of the jokes hinge on his dim-wittedness. However, here too there are some unexpectedly dramatic developments, and the character proves to be a bit more nuanced than first appearances would suggest.
As for the wrestling scenes: again, I’m by no means an authority on the subject, but they strike me as pretty impressive. Crew certainly looks the part of a contemporary female wrestler, and seems more than up to the challenge physically. Still, not all the fight action – particularly that which occurs outside of the ring – is entirely convincing, either in performance or circumstance. This is especially true of the finale, which I can’t help feeling pushes the old suspension of disbelief a little too far.
When all’s said and done, Chokeslam just isn’t funny or gripping enough to make for really arresting viewing. Even so, I should imagine it will prove agreeable enough for both casual viewers and wrestling fans – the latter of whom will doubtless be keen to see it, thanks to a slight but entertaining supporting turn from esteemed WWE veteran Mick Foley.
Chokeslam is released to DVD, Blu-ray, and digital formats in the US on February 27th. Physical media copies can be ordered here.