I legit think Zac Efron's performance in Iron Claw should have gotten him an oscar nomination. It is (almost) as big of a snub as Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler.
what a mistake by the distributers dude.. this would have gotten noms for cinematography, direction, and a best actor nom to Efron as a bare minimum. @@aTofuJunkie
Brother, when I tell you I cried like a baby when Kerry was on the boat going to his brothers on the dock and he’s just saying, “my brothers”. Dude, I never cried like that in the theater in my life. What an amazing movie.
One of the saddest things I learned after I watched this, was that there was another brother that died that they left out of the movie 😥. There was six of the brothers.
I worked as a jobber for Skandor Akbar in Dallas in the early 2000's. I did a show where Kevin was main eventing in 2001 in Gladewater Tx. He worked with Greg Valentine in what was a really good match. He was in amazing shape, him and Pam took photos with the fans. When Stranglehold came on over the PA, the crowd of about 1500 blew up. These brothers were like rock stars in the 80's in Dallas.
I remember when the movie was first announced people were going "This seems weird for A24 to produce, this doesn't seem haunting or scary or anything like that." Meanwhile every wrestling fan was on the outside looking in going "oh, they don't know about the Von Erich's"
i’ve heard this movie hits HARD if you have siblings, and considering how hard it made me cry as an only child, i can only imagine. also, in terms of history films, Cinderella Man is a fantastic boxing movie. We are marshall is also another great football movie
I'm an only child but I cried like a baby cuz my dad at times has been like Fritz. I'm also a lover of wrestling and grew up in Texas so knowing their story before going in I knew I would cry.
Yep. There's an inherent safety in knowing you have siblings. I can't imagine how lonely the world would feel losing them. Especially for an older sibling who feels responsible for the younger ones.
Food for thought. They left out a brother. The director said with his story the movie would be too depressing. Spoiler alert: his story doesn’t have a happy ending either.
Holt McCallany, who plays the dad Fritz, was excellent in this film. He's such a good utility actor. You can put him in anything and he shines. Entirely underrated
YES. I’m a pro wrestling tv show director from the Bay Area and this movie truly showed the entire world what wrestling means to the wrestlers. Traveling all over the world, getting hurt, and doing shows. The pressure, the culture, the competition. Wrestling isn’t fake, it’s really fucking hard. Bonus points and Unfun Facts: the eldest son drowned and was electrocuted at 6 years old. And they even left out another brother who died because the movie was far to sad already
I have 3 brothers and we come from a wrestling family stemming all the way back to my great grandpa... Me, my dad, my brothers and my grandpa all went to see this together and this movie hit WAYYY harder than we were expecting out of a fun movie night.
I guessed it was coming but that reveal of the missing foot after the motorcycle crash is still so sad. Amazing movie that last line made me really emotional.
@@thunderb4stard80yes, of course. But I think what he is saying is that they chose THAT as the title of the film (as opposed to something else) as subtext for both Fritz and the “Iron claw” of stardom and the pressure of success.
First....happy birthday! Second....I grew up in Dallas/Ft Worth and the Von Erich family was a huge part of my childhood in the early 80s. My Dad would take me and a few friends to the old Sportatorium on Saturday mornings to watch these wrestling events live. I cherish those moments. This film was in theaters around Christmas time last year and I took my Dad to see it. We both left the theater with wet eyes and speechless until we got to the car. Really glad you enjoyed this film.
As someone who lost one of his brothers somewhat recently, this film completely wrecks me. But it's also such a beautiful showing of brotherhood and while it brings up the sadness, all the good thoughts and memories also come flooding back, I've now seen it about 5 times, very therapeutic. The last scene where zac finally gets to cry is so powerful.
20:23 Yeah, that scene when he leaves on the motorcycle, I sank in my seat in the theater. It was like a weight was on me from what I could feel was coming. It was crazy, overwhelming, and sad.
This was such a visceral experience in theaters, hit me real hard. I've got a brother who I'm super close with and a shit dad, so it felt cathartic watching this and learning about Kevin's story.
“I used to be a brother” is one of the saddest lines I’ve ever heard, and the way he delivers it is tragic perfection. My eyes welled up the first time I heard it and pretty much every time after, including now, and it isn’t even in the TH-cam edit 🥹
What a birthday watch! This and Godzilla Minus One were my Christmas plans and this wrecked me. I lost my older sister as a kid and have had to distance myself from the only family I have left. Found this to be such a healing experience and the attention to detail, music and performances are next level. Hope you had a great birthday and thanks for all the videos!
Hey James, I'm a filmmaker from Melbourne, Australia. I would recommend Paul Schrader's Mishima. What I believe to be the greatest biopic of all time and a truly singular artistic triumph within that medium. I wish I could tell you why it's so brilliant but I'd like you to go in as blind as possible.
This movie really hit me. It came out in December of last year that June I lost my brother and it took me out for real. Hardest thing I’ve been thru and still going thru after a year. But this movie is the best movie I have seen all year maybe off all time to be honest. I have so much respect/love for it to honor his brothers and how he got thru it.
Long comment alert: With a lot of films that are based on true events there are a lot of inaccuracies, omitted facts and the story is often condensed for time. Here are a few things I noticed that aren't accurate or just not shown in the movie other than the youngest brother Chris not being in it all: 1) Fritz like Kerry was also a champion discus thrower and almost went to the Olympics himself. According to Kevin had Fritz been able to go and matched his best recorded throw he would've won gold. The reason he wasn't able to go was that he couldn't pay for the trip himself and the AAU wouldn't cover his expenses because Fritz had gotten married. Fritz also once held the Texas High School discus throwing record. He held it for many years, and it was his son Kerry who broke it. 2) David was actually the first brother to begin pro-wrestling full time. Kevin did start first, but he only did it part time while he was in college, initially. Kevin was on a football scholarship so would only wrestle during the offseason, and it was his dream to make the NFL. Kevin got a knee injury that ended his ability to play football and then he turned to pro-wrestling full time. 3) David was married to his second wife at the time of his death. His first marriage had ended when their first child a daughter died from SIDS 13-weeks after being born. 4) There was no waiting your turn for world championship matches. All the brothers had a shot at one time or another. In fact, it was interference from the Freebirds during a world title match for Kerry that kicked off the Von Erich vs. Freebird rivalry shown in the movie. 5) Mike had begun wrestling before David's death, and according to Kevin he was a much better athlete than he gets credit for, but just wasn't as skilled as the other brothers in the ring. 6) Kerry's accident where he lost his foot happened a couple of years after he won the world title from Ric Flair. He only held the title for 18 days before losing it back to Flair. The NWA didn't trust Kerry with the belt as he had missed some shows, he was supposed to wrestle on due to his substance abuse issues. He was only given the title as a favor to Fritz and the family after David had died. The mother was also at the show to see Kerry win the title and not at home watching it on TV. She celebrated with Kerry on the show after the match. 7) Kevin "losing his cool" and attacking Ric Flair during their world title match happened a couple of years after David's death and it was planned finish of the match. He was scripted to get disqualified, he didn't just go crazy in the ring. 8) Fritz and a business partner were the ones that sold their wrestling promotion to Jerry Jarrett. Kevin and Kerry who owned a minority stock in the company were against it, and I believe Kevin even tried to sue to stop the sale. 9) Kevin and his wife had two daughters before they had their two sons. 10) One of Kerry's daughters became a pro-wrestler as well and was known as Lacey Von Erich. She retired after only a few years, and Kevin's two boys are currently in pro-wrestlers, and they also use the Von Erich name. 11) The two wrestlers being depicted wrestling Kevin and David in David's debut match were wrestlers named Bruiser Brody and Gino Hernandez. They too would die tragically at a young age. Gino would die at the age of 28 to a drug overdose. Brody was stabbed to death by a fellow wrestler in the locker room shower during a show while working in Puerto Rico for a different wrestling promotion at the age of 42 over a business dispute. 12) Mike's injury happened while he and Kevin were wrestling in Israel. The Von Erick family was very famous over there as their wrestling show had been pirated in that country. I believe Mike had the surgery there, flew home and it was then that he got really sick from the infection. Kevin had to rush him to the hospital.
I applaud directors and writers for being able to convey the story even if they need to change some things. Having the 2 sons instead of daughters is suck a punch in the gut. I can also see why the director would say including all the family tragedies would make it to upsetting, cause imagine this but add another tragedy. I don’t think anyone would survive that movie
Glad you reacted to this. What a beautifully, heavy film. I grew up watching the WWF in the late 80s and early 90s. I had no idea the Texas Tornado was missing a foot and all these tragic events happened to his family. Almost unbelievable.
Just watched this movie last night, I knew nothing about it and my god it didn't disappoint. Never been the biggest fan of Zac Efron, but man he fucking killed it. Also, I have never clicked on a video this fast lmao
i offhandedly brought this movie up to my mother who is 69 years old and she told me that she grew up a huge fan of fritz von erich in missouri, but wasn't sure what became of of his sons. i wanted to watch the movie because i love zac efron and jeremy allen white. we watched it together and by the end we were both crying. it was a nice bonding moment, and i got to know more about my mom.
Unfortunately I'm gonna have to save this reaction watch for a different time because I really don't feel like bawling my eyes out rn, but I couldn't be happier seeing you getting around to this absolute gem! It definitely packs punches in ways and places you don't expect it to.
I lost my older brother to cancer when he was just 29, that was 18 yrs ago, time doesnt heal you just have good and bad days, grief is like a roller coaster its ups and downs. This film killed me and watching the documentary on it is highly recommended, a lot they didn't put in this film it was so much 😢 Zac Efron was robbed he at least should have been nominated for an Oscar for this performance
12 years since I lost my only sibling to cancer, and it still hurts all the time. As someone who also is "not a brother anymore", this movie's ending hit way too hard.
This was one of the best movies I watched last year. I don’t really give much importance to awards anymore, but this was very overlooked and didn’t get the recognition it deserves. Such a heartbreaking story with beautiful, beautiful acting.
I didn't realize how much I missed sports dramas until this movie. It's like it was designed to make men cry. Efron was so good. I hope he makes more dramas because he's very good.
I’m so glad I missed this in theaters cause when I tell you I have NEVER cried that hard for a movie in my life like ??? I sat down on random Tuesday night thinking I was in for a cute lil family wrestlig flick and by the end I wanted to sue Zac Efron for the emotional damage.
I can't remember ever crying as badly to a movie as I did this one. How Kevin was able to pull through is incredible. I recommend watching the Von Kerry episode of Dark Side of the Ring, it explains a lot they left out here, including the sixth brother who also committed suicide.
Wow, never expected you to react to The Iron Claw! Thanks a lot James. :) It's awesome to watch reactions to this movie who aren't familiar with the real story and seeing what they think of it for the first time. It hits you like a ton of bricks.
The scene with his newborn, he was filling out the baby's birth certificate. The person mistakenly put Von Erich but didn't know his last name was actually Atkinson. He wanted his baby to have his real last name rather then the character Kevin Von Erichs last name.
good call on the Spielberg reference... very different vibes and movies but, this one reminded me so much of Catch me if you can, and the way the camera is utilized there.
My wife and I cried so hard watching this last year. Especially at the end where Kerry sees all his brothers again on the other side and when Zac said I used to be a brother. Love this movie so damn much.
Watching this for the first time after losing three family members back to back within a few months probably wasn’t the best idea in hindsight, but it’s one of the best movies I’ve watched this year. My mom was (and still is) a huge wrestling fan, so being able to watch it through a fan’s perspective was really cool!
Finally got round to watching this a few days ago myself and that final scene wrecked me. The Von Erichs were a bit before my time (although I remember watching WCW as a kid) so I've been reading up on them after watching the film.
Chavo guerrero did such an amazing job with helping on the film. It gives you so much more depth into the von erichs without even knowing their story. Thankfully i am an old wrestling fan and sadly knew about all of the problems and deaths. Also they did amazing moments of heartbreak by using the saying about him crying and no longer having brothers.
Dude watching this on your birthday is nuts haha. Amazing movie though. The Texas Tornado (Kerry) was awesome! Efron looked way more like Kerry in this movie than he did Kevin.
I worked background on this film in Baton Rouge. The actors were phenomenal. This is a true story, but it was sad that they had one more brother named Chris, who also unalived himself, that was not put into the film. Chris was the youngest brother in the family. So sadly, Kevin tragically lost 5 brothers. There were 6 brothers total.
On the topic of brotherhood (blood or otherwise)/male friendship, Close (2022) by Lukas Dhont is beautiful and heartbreaking in equal measure - would highly recommend it as a film for this channel.
A24 should've pushed _The Iron Claw_ to this year to at least give it a stronger chance at Oscars season. Heck, even a super-early release would've led to Zac Efron hogging the Best Actor 2024 conversation for months with no other takers.
What a beautiful story of the trials and tribulations of life. Horrific and triumphant at the same time every single one of us goes through the bullshit life throws at us.
"We'll be your brothers, Dad"
Welp totally not broken or anything
Gets me every time.
As someone who's lost a brother, I have sons of my own and I can't even read the line without going.
That is the most impactful and poignant part of the movie for me. Nothing else in the movie affects me like that moment.
And update: *It hurts*
I legit think Zac Efron's performance in Iron Claw should have gotten him an oscar nomination. It is (almost) as big of a snub as Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler.
It came a little late in physical screening. Weeks after voting had already happened.
what a mistake by the distributers dude.. this would have gotten noms for cinematography, direction, and a best actor nom to Efron as a bare minimum. @@aTofuJunkie
That's such a shame, it was such a wonderfully understated performance.
Brother, when I tell you I cried like a baby when Kerry was on the boat going to his brothers on the dock and he’s just saying, “my brothers”. Dude, I never cried like that in the theater in my life. What an amazing movie.
And he hugs his big brother that died super young😭
I'm glad I didn't see this in a theatre. I was straight up hyperventilating. How Kevin pulled through all of that, I'll never know.
One of the saddest things I learned after I watched this, was that there was another brother that died that they left out of the movie 😥. There was six of the brothers.
I worked as a jobber for Skandor Akbar in Dallas in the early 2000's. I did a show where Kevin was main eventing in 2001 in Gladewater Tx. He worked with Greg Valentine in what was a really good match. He was in amazing shape, him and Pam took photos with the fans. When Stranglehold came on over the PA, the crowd of about 1500 blew up. These brothers were like rock stars in the 80's in Dallas.
I remember when the movie was first announced people were going "This seems weird for A24 to produce, this doesn't seem haunting or scary or anything like that."
Meanwhile every wrestling fan was on the outside looking in going "oh, they don't know about the Von Erich's"
Wasn’t expecting this gem. Movie of the year in 2023 imo. Efron should’ve gotten awarded for his performance in this.
It's a shame it came out too late. Otherwise, it might have stood a fighting chance against Oppenheimer in a lot of areas.
@@weirdguy1495Hype for Oppenheimer was totally blown out of proportion...Sorry bad joke. 😂
i’ve heard this movie hits HARD if you have siblings, and considering how hard it made me cry as an only child, i can only imagine. also, in terms of history films, Cinderella Man is a fantastic boxing movie. We are marshall is also another great football movie
Yup I have a little brother. This was DEEP.
Can confirm.
I'm an only child but I cried like a baby cuz my dad at times has been like Fritz. I'm also a lover of wrestling and grew up in Texas so knowing their story before going in I knew I would cry.
Yep. There's an inherent safety in knowing you have siblings. I can't imagine how lonely the world would feel losing them. Especially for an older sibling who feels responsible for the younger ones.
Food for thought. They left out a brother. The director said with his story the movie would be too depressing. Spoiler alert: his story doesn’t have a happy ending either.
When I later heard Kevin had lost a FIFTH brother... I just cannot comprehend that level of loss. Just brutal.
Holt McCallany, who plays the dad Fritz, was excellent in this film. He's such a good utility actor. You can put him in anything and he shines. Entirely underrated
I knew him from Mindhunter. What a great show that was, and I was so upset when it was canceled.
@@JohnJimmyJoe I just finished it a few days ago. So good! This is why I stopped watching TV. All the shows I love get cancelled early
He’s a beast fighter in real life too. Great actor 💯
YES. I’m a pro wrestling tv show director from the Bay Area and this movie truly showed the entire world what wrestling means to the wrestlers. Traveling all over the world, getting hurt, and doing shows. The pressure, the culture, the competition. Wrestling isn’t fake, it’s really fucking hard.
Bonus points and Unfun Facts: the eldest son drowned and was electrocuted at 6 years old. And they even left out another brother who died because the movie was far to sad already
Midget wrestling?
Nerd
@@yourHandleShouldBeAtLeast3... high level
@@DannyBedo turned the light on in a meeting room once at a wrestling show huh
@@odolwa1 turned the lights out too, first in last out on a show kid.
This is how cinema ought to be, the whiplash of emotions make this such a fucking beautiful experience. Be safe yall love u
I have 3 brothers and we come from a wrestling family stemming all the way back to my great grandpa... Me, my dad, my brothers and my grandpa all went to see this together and this movie hit WAYYY harder than we were expecting out of a fun movie night.
I guessed it was coming but that reveal of the missing foot after the motorcycle crash is still so sad. Amazing movie that last line made me really emotional.
The couple times I thought about getting a bike I met guys who were missing a leg due to a crash. I got the hint.
Saw this film in theaters. My mom, aunt, and my grandmother got to see the Von Erichs wrestle and my mom told me it was a cool experience.
That’s really awesome! Happy they got to witness such a thing.
The Iron Claw was a metaphor for how tightly the dad controlled the lives of his sons, to all of their detriment.
also the grip of toxic masculinity
No it was also the family finishing move in real life. It wasnt made up for the film
@@MrFish626 Once masculinity becomes "toxic", it ceases to be masculinity.
@@thunderb4stard80yes, of course. But I think what he is saying is that they chose THAT as the title of the film (as opposed to something else) as subtext for both Fritz and the “Iron claw” of stardom and the pressure of success.
I mean it is based off real events so technically the story just happens to contain elements of that, not really a metaphor
YESSS I WAS WAITING FOR YOU TO REACT TO THAT MOVIE, IT'S SO GREAT! 🔥
I heavily agree!
Hell yes!! More reactors need to react to this movie. Absolutely one of the best of 2023
First....happy birthday!
Second....I grew up in Dallas/Ft Worth and the Von Erich family was a huge part of my childhood in the early 80s. My Dad would take me and a few friends to the old Sportatorium on Saturday mornings to watch these wrestling events live. I cherish those moments.
This film was in theaters around Christmas time last year and I took my Dad to see it. We both left the theater with wet eyes and speechless until we got to the car.
Really glad you enjoyed this film.
14:55
They actually came out to Stranglehold by Ted Nudgent, but it's all cool.
Tom Sawyer by Rush was Kerry's solo theme as the "Modern Day Warrior"
As someone who lost one of his brothers somewhat recently, this film completely wrecks me. But it's also such a beautiful showing of brotherhood and while it brings up the sadness, all the good thoughts and memories also come flooding back, I've now seen it about 5 times, very therapeutic. The last scene where zac finally gets to cry is so powerful.
20:23 Yeah, that scene when he leaves on the motorcycle, I sank in my seat in the theater. It was like a weight was on me from what I could feel was coming. It was crazy, overwhelming, and sad.
This was such a visceral experience in theaters, hit me real hard. I've got a brother who I'm super close with and a shit dad, so it felt cathartic watching this and learning about Kevin's story.
My favourite film of 2023 and how can you not cry when watching it. Such a great film
Bro, that last scene with all the brothers, had me crying 😭
That scene talking to his sons at the end absolutely gutted me
Zac Efrons best performance by far. I don’t know if he got any nominations for this but he deserves it
"I used to be a brother once. Now I'm not a brother anymore"
“I used to be a brother” is one of the saddest lines I’ve ever heard, and the way he delivers it is tragic perfection. My eyes welled up the first time I heard it and pretty much every time after, including now, and it isn’t even in the TH-cam edit 🥹
What a birthday watch! This and Godzilla Minus One were my Christmas plans and this wrecked me. I lost my older sister as a kid and have had to distance myself from the only family I have left. Found this to be such a healing experience and the attention to detail, music and performances are next level. Hope you had a great birthday and thanks for all the videos!
Now you must watch The Foxcatcher, is amazing too!
Hey James,
I'm a filmmaker from Melbourne, Australia.
I would recommend Paul Schrader's Mishima. What I believe to be the greatest biopic of all time and a truly singular artistic triumph within that medium. I wish I could tell you why it's so brilliant but I'd like you to go in as blind as possible.
This movie really hit me. It came out in December of last year that June I lost my brother and it took me out for real. Hardest thing I’ve been thru and still going thru after a year. But this movie is the best movie I have seen all year maybe off all time to be honest. I have so much respect/love for it to honor his brothers and how he got thru it.
Long comment alert:
With a lot of films that are based on true events there are a lot of inaccuracies, omitted facts and the story is often condensed for time. Here are a few things I noticed that aren't accurate or just not shown in the movie other than the youngest brother Chris not being in it all:
1) Fritz like Kerry was also a champion discus thrower and almost went to the Olympics himself. According to Kevin had Fritz been able to go and matched his best recorded throw he would've won gold. The reason he wasn't able to go was that he couldn't pay for the trip himself and the AAU wouldn't cover his expenses because Fritz had gotten married. Fritz also once held the Texas High School discus throwing record. He held it for many years, and it was his son Kerry who broke it.
2) David was actually the first brother to begin pro-wrestling full time. Kevin did start first, but he only did it part time while he was in college, initially. Kevin was on a football scholarship so would only wrestle during the offseason, and it was his dream to make the NFL. Kevin got a knee injury that ended his ability to play football and then he turned to pro-wrestling full time.
3) David was married to his second wife at the time of his death. His first marriage had ended when their first child a daughter died from SIDS 13-weeks after being born.
4) There was no waiting your turn for world championship matches. All the brothers had a shot at one time or another. In fact, it was interference from the Freebirds during a world title match for Kerry that kicked off the Von Erich vs. Freebird rivalry shown in the movie.
5) Mike had begun wrestling before David's death, and according to Kevin he was a much better athlete than he gets credit for, but just wasn't as skilled as the other brothers in the ring.
6) Kerry's accident where he lost his foot happened a couple of years after he won the world title from Ric Flair. He only held the title for 18 days before losing it back to Flair. The NWA didn't trust Kerry with the belt as he had missed some shows, he was supposed to wrestle on due to his substance abuse issues. He was only given the title as a favor to Fritz and the family after David had died. The mother was also at the show to see Kerry win the title and not at home watching it on TV. She celebrated with Kerry on the show after the match.
7) Kevin "losing his cool" and attacking Ric Flair during their world title match happened a couple of years after David's death and it was planned finish of the match. He was scripted to get disqualified, he didn't just go crazy in the ring.
8) Fritz and a business partner were the ones that sold their wrestling promotion to Jerry Jarrett. Kevin and Kerry who owned a minority stock in the company were against it, and I believe Kevin even tried to sue to stop the sale.
9) Kevin and his wife had two daughters before they had their two sons.
10) One of Kerry's daughters became a pro-wrestler as well and was known as Lacey Von Erich. She retired after only a few years, and Kevin's two boys are currently in pro-wrestlers, and they also use the Von Erich name.
11) The two wrestlers being depicted wrestling Kevin and David in David's debut match were wrestlers named Bruiser Brody and Gino Hernandez. They too would die tragically at a young age. Gino would die at the age of 28 to a drug overdose. Brody was stabbed to death by a fellow wrestler in the locker room shower during a show while working in Puerto Rico for a different wrestling promotion at the age of 42 over a business dispute.
12) Mike's injury happened while he and Kevin were wrestling in Israel. The Von Erick family was very famous over there as their wrestling show had been pirated in that country. I believe Mike had the surgery there, flew home and it was then that he got really sick from the infection. Kevin had to rush him to the hospital.
I applaud directors and writers for being able to convey the story even if they need to change some things. Having the 2 sons instead of daughters is suck a punch in the gut.
I can also see why the director would say including all the family tragedies would make it to upsetting, cause imagine this but add another tragedy. I don’t think anyone would survive that movie
I think I cried like 4 times watching this movie, as a mother of 5 kids myself it just absolutely tore my heart out
Glad you reacted to this. What a beautifully, heavy film. I grew up watching the WWF in the late 80s and early 90s. I had no idea the Texas Tornado was missing a foot and all these tragic events happened to his family. Almost unbelievable.
Such a great film!
Long live the Von Erichs!
Thanks James! Great reaction!
Just watched this movie last night, I knew nothing about it and my god it didn't disappoint. Never been the biggest fan of Zac Efron, but man he fucking killed it. Also, I have never clicked on a video this fast lmao
Hahaha happy to see ya here! This film rocked for me. Genuinely thrilled by everyone’s performances but ESPECIALLY Zac Efron.
This is probably the best film that I've seen from this decade so far.. it's truly so well crafted!
Godzilla Minus One is better. But this film is amazing.
i offhandedly brought this movie up to my mother who is 69 years old and she told me that she grew up a huge fan of fritz von erich in missouri, but wasn't sure what became of of his sons. i wanted to watch the movie because i love zac efron and jeremy allen white. we watched it together and by the end we were both crying. it was a nice bonding moment, and i got to know more about my mom.
Unfortunately I'm gonna have to save this reaction watch for a different time because I really don't feel like bawling my eyes out rn, but I couldn't be happier seeing you getting around to this absolute gem! It definitely packs punches in ways and places you don't expect it to.
Thank you for watching this! Since i first saw it I’ve been looking for a reaction that appreciates it through the filmmakers lens
Haven't watched in a while but damn man, you are the best at this. Please keep watching movies and films, for our sake.
Happy Birthday James! Great reaction as always man! 👍😎
Appreciate it!!
27:22 Good call, man. I didn’t even think of that the first time I saw it until he mentions it later.
I lost my older brother to cancer when he was just 29, that was 18 yrs ago, time doesnt heal you just have good and bad days, grief is like a roller coaster its ups and downs. This film killed me and watching the documentary on it is highly recommended, a lot they didn't put in this film it was so much 😢
Zac Efron was robbed he at least should have been nominated for an Oscar for this performance
I’ll look into the documentary! Sorry to hear about your older brother as well..this story really hit for me being an older brother myself.
Thank you, we have to cherish every moment we have with family, life moves way too fast ❤@@JamesVSCinema
12 years since I lost my only sibling to cancer, and it still hurts all the time. As someone who also is "not a brother anymore", this movie's ending hit way too hard.
I wanna see a reaction of him watching the documentary
This was one of the best movies I watched last year. I don’t really give much importance to awards anymore, but this was very overlooked and didn’t get the recognition it deserves. Such a heartbreaking story with beautiful, beautiful acting.
And now The Wrestler for the one-two punch
I didn't realize how much I missed sports dramas until this movie. It's like it was designed to make men cry. Efron was so good. I hope he makes more dramas because he's very good.
They left out one of the kids so there was actually 6 sons and 5 of them died.
Sean Durkin. Fantastic filmmaker. Can recommend another of his historical films "The Nest".
I’m so glad I missed this in theaters cause when I tell you I have NEVER cried that hard for a movie in my life like ??? I sat down on random Tuesday night thinking I was in for a cute lil family wrestlig flick and by the end I wanted to sue Zac Efron for the emotional damage.
I can't remember ever crying as badly to a movie as I did this one. How Kevin was able to pull through is incredible. I recommend watching the Von Kerry episode of Dark Side of the Ring, it explains a lot they left out here, including the sixth brother who also committed suicide.
oooh man what a film...
Damn right…
Wow, never expected you to react to The Iron Claw! Thanks a lot James. :) It's awesome to watch reactions to this movie who aren't familiar with the real story and seeing what they think of it for the first time. It hits you like a ton of bricks.
You gotta watch "Miracle" true story of the US 1980 Olympic hockey team
The way I lit up when I saw this in my sub page
Happy birthday James!! Great movie and great reaction!💫
Ugh, and the song they play at the end credits breaks my heart even more. His poor brother’s song 😢
I know anime is tough in terms of copyright but I love when you talk anime. Doflamingo reference got me locked lol
Hahahaha happy you caught it fam!
Got the day off, looking forward to starting strong with all of you and going headfirst again into this film. won't be by myself this time
Malcolm x is a must watch for the “history” genre
The scene with his newborn, he was filling out the baby's birth certificate. The person mistakenly put Von Erich but didn't know his last name was actually Atkinson. He wanted his baby to have his real last name rather then the character Kevin Von Erichs last name.
good call on the Spielberg reference... very different vibes and movies but, this one reminded me so much of Catch me if you can, and the way the camera is utilized there.
My wife and I cried so hard watching this last year. Especially at the end where Kerry sees all his brothers again on the other side and when Zac said I used to be a brother. Love this movie so damn much.
Absolutely amazing film!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Bro! I hope this next chapter is even better than the last!
This one really surprised me and is one of my faves.... it was so heartbreaking and realistic
Watching this for the first time after losing three family members back to back within a few months probably wasn’t the best idea in hindsight, but it’s one of the best movies I’ve watched this year. My mom was (and still is) a huge wrestling fan, so being able to watch it through a fan’s perspective was really cool!
just an all time great movie with some of the best individual performances i've ever seen on screen
My mom grew up in Texas with the Von Erichs and when this came out. She politely declined to see it. She said "I'd rather not live thru that again"
Finally got round to watching this a few days ago myself and that final scene wrecked me. The Von Erichs were a bit before my time (although I remember watching WCW as a kid) so I've been reading up on them after watching the film.
Having nothing but a bunch of brothers rocks. Its like you have a built in ride or die friend group for free.
Happy Birthday, James!
Chavo guerrero did such an amazing job with helping on the film. It gives you so much more depth into the von erichs without even knowing their story. Thankfully i am an old wrestling fan and sadly knew about all of the problems and deaths. Also they did amazing moments of heartbreak by using the saying about him crying and no longer having brothers.
Yeah, this film is a memorable favorite for me.
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Have a great day!
Happy birthday
yo,react wołyn 2016(polish movie)
This movie was robbed during award season
Happy Birthday Dude
Dude watching this on your birthday is nuts haha.
Amazing movie though.
The Texas Tornado (Kerry) was awesome!
Efron looked way more like Kerry in this movie than he did Kevin.
The "I'm not a brother anymore" fkn killed me. My baby brother, 29 but still, passed a month before I watched this. Fkd me up.
I worked background on this film in Baton Rouge. The actors were phenomenal. This is a true story, but it was sad that they had one more brother named Chris, who also unalived himself, that was not put into the film. Chris was the youngest brother in the family. So sadly, Kevin tragically lost 5 brothers. There were 6 brothers total.
On the topic of brotherhood (blood or otherwise)/male friendship, Close (2022) by Lukas Dhont is beautiful and heartbreaking in equal measure - would highly recommend it as a film for this channel.
Happy birthday man
Thanks homie
Happy late birthday James!
Happy Birthday! 💯🙏🏼🎂🤙🏽😎
Happy birthday! 🎉
Thanks so much!!! 🙏🏽
I just watched this for the first time last night!
Got my tissues ready 🥲
11:17
That rumbling is the Sportatorium going ape-shit!
A24 should've pushed _The Iron Claw_ to this year to at least give it a stronger chance at Oscars season. Heck, even a super-early release would've led to Zac Efron hogging the Best Actor 2024 conversation for months with no other takers.
This was a sad but amazing watch. Happy Birthday James 🤎 You should definitely watch the Kevin Von Erich vs Ric Flair fight.
you gotta watch the bikeriders! (its based on a photography book of the same name and the interviews included in it)
I was sobbing in the theater bro
Next history movie. Miracle on ice. Its absolutely brilliant
Happy birthday 🎉🎂
Thanks!!!
What a beautiful story of the trials and tribulations of life. Horrific and triumphant at the same time every single one of us goes through the bullshit life throws at us.
FINALLY
Marshall and Ross (Kevin’s kids) are currently part of the ROH 3-man championship team
Gotta check out out Charlie St. Cloud Zac’s range continues in this movie too
Happy Birthday James 🎁🎂🎈🎉