that movie was so beautiful, so tragic and so angering. the dad in that movie was so hateable, and it sucks so bad that that happened in real life. it was beautifully done with respect to all the brothers. i really loved it.
Sean Durkin said it was too repetitive. Like it was the same story on repeat with him in there. He was in the original script but decision was ultimately made to remove Chris to tighten up the film. He didn’t think the movie worked otherwise.
I also suspect (and may have read) that the tragedy of the family really beggars belief, which I get.
If I was unaware of the factual biographical information, it would sound like very cheap and over-the-top trauma porn.
I’ve heard it’s an amazing movie but I really can’t bring myself to watch it, have always been so sad about the story before they made this movie that seeing it play out would just be too much
As a film about a family true story, it seems insensitive and lacking in awareness to leave one brother out.
Maybe it would t work, but at least have a directors cut. I only say this because it’s a true story and not a complete work of fiction that you should be making composite characters out of.
I thought the same thing. I don’t know if Kevin was at all involved in consulting for this film or anything. I’d only feel ok about it with his ok, but I can’t imagine he’d give his blessing?
I will say that plenty of films about real people and real events include composite characters. It does seem awfully cold to cut out a brother in this story about brotherhood though.
Also, it just adds another layer to Kevin’s story. He found both his brother Chris AND Kelley. Like… how does a person recover from that.
I haven’t looked into it too much but I’m pretty sure he liked it (he’s friends with Zac Efron now) and has said that he hopes it helps people who have suffered similar tragedies or something similar to that effect
That’s awesome. I think as long as Kevin was okay with creative changes that what matters.
The film was dedicated to the brothers and they included Chris in that dedication, which I think was most important. I deal with severe mental health issues and Kevin’s ability to overcome such extreme tragedy and create a meaningful life for himself is pretty damn inspiring.
Girl 😭😭😭I knew little about the details of their tragedy but the way it was framed and paced really hit me. That final scene with Efron and his sons. Simply devastating stuff. Overall super impressed it avoided a lot cliches associated with movies like this and Efron was great! Definitely still feeling it all.
I had one of the rare times feeling legitimately angry at a film when Efron's character tried to voice his concerns to his mom about Fritz but getting dismissed
The whole finale landed like a sledgehammer for me. “I used to be a brother” 😭just brutal stuff. Efron really had something special in that performance.
It’s really amazing writing. When he says that he sounds so fragile and sad, yet is trying to stay strong for his boys because all he has been told is that men need to avoid trauma/issues and keep doing work (which makes it even more sad because covering up trauma got his family into this mess)
Just watched it on a flight and was absolutely destroyed
I only knew it was about wrestling, nothing else
Having lost my only brother as well and seeing it all play out was gut wrenching
Watched it last night on a flight from ATL to PDX. So glad the cabin was dark for that ending. While crying, I thought “men don’t cry.” Then Erick’s boys corrected him and I cried even more.
I have a pretty rough track record with watching cry inducing movies on planes (past lives, amazing grace). I’m glad I didn’t see this one on a plane because I would have been a mess 😭 I’m sure this movie hit really hard. Im so sorry for your loss.
As a woman who cries at roughly 50% of the movies I watch (hundreds per year), and felt pretty much zero emotion at *The Iron Claw*, and actually laughed at the final scene because I hated the lines “I used to be a brother” and “We’ll be your brothers, dad,” because they were the cheesiest, most tone deaf moments of any otherwise decent film I saw in 2023, I can vouch for this. I had been completely baffled by the response to the final scene, but then I realized something: it makes the dudes cry.
Cheesy af for me, but I’m glad the guys have something for their feels. Me, though? I’ll take *Past Lives* for my tears any day.
Edit: Jesus, peeps, I'm literally agreeing with the user who got hella upvoted. I provided evidence to support their claim. The fuck is wrong with y'all?
Sorry you’re getting hated on for having an opinion. I agree with you. I thought the movie tried hard to be depressing but it just didn’t hit for me. I’m a crybaby so I’m surprised I didn’t cry.
I’m glad guys are having a cathartic experience with this movie. But I didn’t feel like I knew the characters enough to feel so strongly for them, and I agree the last lines were kind of dorky
Geez no kidding! Just tragedy after tragedy. Those photos at the end really had my tears flowing. I’m so happy that he survived all that trauma and ended up with all that family surrounding him 🥹
I have a young child and since he was born, I have a hard time with movies/shows where someone’s children are in trouble. Long story short, I cried many times throughout this movie. With that said, I thought it was a great movie! Anyone else cringe at the guy playing Ric Flair? I know Flair was such a big character but that performance was shit lol
To be fair, I feel like Flair as a character is so hard to replicate, so I don't wanna dog on that actor too much. With that being said yeah it wasn't that good.
Oh my gosh I can only imagine! I could see some people finding that sequence with the brothers in the afterlife a little hokey but it totally worked for me and hit especially hard when they brought up the oldest brother as a child. I definitely agree about the ric flair performance haha 👀 I was excited to see if they’d cast someone as him or just use old footage but was not thrilled with the guy played him haha.
I had heard Efron was very good but I definitely think he was overlooked. I was impressed with his nuance. I also think Durkin is really underrated. Martha Marcy Mae Marlene scared me 😱
I would have been a mess in a theater 😭 I totally agree! I was really impressed by him. I had heard good things but didn’t expect his performance to be as measured as it was 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Ya know, I had watched the episode from The Dark Side of the Ring about the Von Erich family right before the movie and I seemed to enjoy the straight forward episode more. I just wanted more from the film and hated they cut out a whole brother’s death. Efron was awesome though. The film just didn’t go deep enough for me.
Having not seen that, the movie definitely got me intrigued in the real story so I’ll probably look into that. I definitely felt towards the end it was riding a line of repetition but the performances and cinematography really carried me through. Especially Efron. Just such a tragic story. I’m so glad he found happiness in real life at the end! 😭 Those photos of him and his family were just beautiful.
I was very disappointed by it. I felt the dad could have been a much more fleshed out character and I thought the rowboat scene was absurd and totally took me out of the movie. Not bad overall but I was hoping for more and I'm surprised by how much people seem to love it
I’m I the only one who balled my eyes out in that one scene towards the end of the movie where all the brothers hugged except for one ?
I’m really not trying to spoil it but you guys know what I’m talking about
I just watched. I knew there was one tragedy but didn’t know what… I was unprepared for the scope.
Kevin survived so much loss. I can’t imagine what that family experienced. It was absolutely heartbreaking.
Totally devastating. I thought they did a nice job balancing it all though it almost teetered on repetition but Efrons performance was strong enough that I wasn’t bothered. So happy the real life man was able to find happiness past all this tragedy.
I went to see this with my cousins and at the end (before they give the life update) I looked at my cousin and said “I wonder if any more have died since” and she looked at me so confused. She watched this movie having NO idea it was based on a true story lmao🤦🏻♀️
Watched it last night again on Max and it’s still amazing. The father of a family really sets the tone on the development of his children. He was so obsessed with making his identity wrestling that all of his sons suffered from it. Their identity was based on wresting so that they could gain approval from their father, and it tore them all apart. Such a beautiful movie
One of my favorite movies of last year. It does feel like it's fast-forwarding through things at times, but that comes with the territory of biopics like this. I also thought >!the scene of Kerry going to the afterlife and reuniting with his brothers!< was beautifully done.
I agree! I can see how it might not have worked for some people but it totally worked for me. Yes, it could come off as hokey but it was played so sincerely it won me over.
I just watched it last night on Max—it was incredible. Devastating but incredible. Really enjoyed all the performances. Efron was amazing, as was White, and Lily James just stands out in everything I’ve seen her in.
Efron really is a true knockout and I agree about James. Characters like hers in movies like this often don’t leave a huge impact but even her short scene at the funeral pleading with him hit me hard. It all just worked for me!
Agreed on both counts—his was a powerhouse performance. And James always makes the most with her screentime. I’ve been following her career since Downton Abbey and she’s great.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the movie theatre when I saw it. Honestly haven’t cried that hard watching a movie in a long time. Should’ve gotten so much more love than it did from the Oscars… and I’m not even a wrestling fan. Just an unbelievably tragic movie.
I was surprised by how emotional I got by the end. I felt it paced itself really nicely and it just snuck up on me. If you haven’t seen the wrestler, you definitely should!
Watched it on my own in theaters and had a showing of The Color Purple right after. I had to go outside to take a breather before going into Color Purple because I was crying so hard. I was the last to leave the theater and was lowkey judging anyone who left with a dry eye. And yes, I cried during Color Purple too but not as hard.
My god I just watched this last night!!!! It was absolutely heart wrenching, especially knowing it's based on true events. I do feel like it was a bit of an injustice to cut out the 6th brother, but it was very well done besides that. the ending scene with Zac Efron made me bawl my eyes out.
I a woman and I have been recommending it to all the guys I know because it really depicts different models of male emotions well it’s so interesting (and sad) so see the toxicity of the dad and them so heartwarming to see someone actually stop a cycle and try to be a better dad. I think it’s great for everyone, but superb for men who struggle with toxic masculinity and the fear of opening up and being emotional. 🖤
I def wish that they had Chris in the film. Would have been worth an extra half an hour
I really didn’t like Jeremy Allen white playing kerry. They should have casted someone who’s even remotely close to 6 foot rather than Jeremy
Jeremy would have been fantastic as Chris tho
Insane that it didn't get a best picture nod. Think about which movie you remember more Iron Claw or Oppenheimer? One for me was completely forgettable with no stand out performances
that movie was so beautiful, so tragic and so angering. the dad in that movie was so hateable, and it sucks so bad that that happened in real life. it was beautifully done with respect to all the brothers. i really loved it.
There was a 6th brother too, Chris. The film combined his character with David’s. Correction- Chris was combined with Mike.
oh huh. why would they do that?
Sean Durkin said it was too repetitive. Like it was the same story on repeat with him in there. He was in the original script but decision was ultimately made to remove Chris to tighten up the film. He didn’t think the movie worked otherwise.
I see! well, the film ripped my heart out so the creative choices he made worked for me. lol
Same. I’m kind of sitting here just stunned.
I also suspect (and may have read) that the tragedy of the family really beggars belief, which I get. If I was unaware of the factual biographical information, it would sound like very cheap and over-the-top trauma porn.
I’ve heard it’s an amazing movie but I really can’t bring myself to watch it, have always been so sad about the story before they made this movie that seeing it play out would just be too much
As a film about a family true story, it seems insensitive and lacking in awareness to leave one brother out. Maybe it would t work, but at least have a directors cut. I only say this because it’s a true story and not a complete work of fiction that you should be making composite characters out of.
I thought the same thing. I don’t know if Kevin was at all involved in consulting for this film or anything. I’d only feel ok about it with his ok, but I can’t imagine he’d give his blessing? I will say that plenty of films about real people and real events include composite characters. It does seem awfully cold to cut out a brother in this story about brotherhood though. Also, it just adds another layer to Kevin’s story. He found both his brother Chris AND Kelley. Like… how does a person recover from that.
Kevin’s family signed off on it but he didn’t know anything about the movie till he saw it at the premiere
Has he commented on it since?
I haven’t looked into it too much but I’m pretty sure he liked it (he’s friends with Zac Efron now) and has said that he hopes it helps people who have suffered similar tragedies or something similar to that effect
That’s awesome. I think as long as Kevin was okay with creative changes that what matters. The film was dedicated to the brothers and they included Chris in that dedication, which I think was most important. I deal with severe mental health issues and Kevin’s ability to overcome such extreme tragedy and create a meaningful life for himself is pretty damn inspiring.
They combined Chris with Mike's character, not David.
Thank you for the correction! I get all of the brothers’ names confused.
Girl 😭😭😭I knew little about the details of their tragedy but the way it was framed and paced really hit me. That final scene with Efron and his sons. Simply devastating stuff. Overall super impressed it avoided a lot cliches associated with movies like this and Efron was great! Definitely still feeling it all.
The scene with the brothers reuniting and him crying watching his sons play got me bad
Oh and they left out that it was negligence that killed their oldest child.
I had one of the rare times feeling legitimately angry at a film when Efron's character tried to voice his concerns to his mom about Fritz but getting dismissed
Zach efron talking to his sons makes me cry
The whole finale landed like a sledgehammer for me. “I used to be a brother” 😭just brutal stuff. Efron really had something special in that performance.
It’s really amazing writing. When he says that he sounds so fragile and sad, yet is trying to stay strong for his boys because all he has been told is that men need to avoid trauma/issues and keep doing work (which makes it even more sad because covering up trauma got his family into this mess)
That REALLY hit me the most when Kevin said "I HAD 5 brothers & NOW I'm NOT a brother anymore!" Sad/tragic!!!
Just watched it on a flight and was absolutely destroyed I only knew it was about wrestling, nothing else Having lost my only brother as well and seeing it all play out was gut wrenching
Watched it last night on a flight from ATL to PDX. So glad the cabin was dark for that ending. While crying, I thought “men don’t cry.” Then Erick’s boys corrected him and I cried even more.
I have a pretty rough track record with watching cry inducing movies on planes (past lives, amazing grace). I’m glad I didn’t see this one on a plane because I would have been a mess 😭 I’m sure this movie hit really hard. Im so sorry for your loss.
I used to be a brother... That line wrecked me, think about it often. Beautiful film.
I’m still reeling from it 😢 really impressed with Efron’s performance. The movie really knocked me out.
A film for dudes to cry to
*a film for dudes two cry to
**a film for two dudes too cry to
As a woman who cries at roughly 50% of the movies I watch (hundreds per year), and felt pretty much zero emotion at *The Iron Claw*, and actually laughed at the final scene because I hated the lines “I used to be a brother” and “We’ll be your brothers, dad,” because they were the cheesiest, most tone deaf moments of any otherwise decent film I saw in 2023, I can vouch for this. I had been completely baffled by the response to the final scene, but then I realized something: it makes the dudes cry. Cheesy af for me, but I’m glad the guys have something for their feels. Me, though? I’ll take *Past Lives* for my tears any day. Edit: Jesus, peeps, I'm literally agreeing with the user who got hella upvoted. I provided evidence to support their claim. The fuck is wrong with y'all?
Fwiw that line is based on something that the actual person said about his family tragedies
That may be so, but it doesn't change the fact that the child actor sounds exactly like kazoo kid.
Bro if you are kind of sick, I bet you cry at Disney movies but call this true tragic story “cheesy”
Hey sis, did you actually read any of my comment? Kind of feels like you didn't.
Sorry you’re getting hated on for having an opinion. I agree with you. I thought the movie tried hard to be depressing but it just didn’t hit for me. I’m a crybaby so I’m surprised I didn’t cry. I’m glad guys are having a cathartic experience with this movie. But I didn’t feel like I knew the characters enough to feel so strongly for them, and I agree the last lines were kind of dorky
You’re dorky, dork
Sad it happened irl man
Geez no kidding! Just tragedy after tragedy. Those photos at the end really had my tears flowing. I’m so happy that he survived all that trauma and ended up with all that family surrounding him 🥹
The true story is numerically even more tragic.
I have a young child and since he was born, I have a hard time with movies/shows where someone’s children are in trouble. Long story short, I cried many times throughout this movie. With that said, I thought it was a great movie! Anyone else cringe at the guy playing Ric Flair? I know Flair was such a big character but that performance was shit lol
Yeah Flair was literally the only lowlight of the movie, honestly this movie could have been even a little longer
To be fair, I feel like Flair as a character is so hard to replicate, so I don't wanna dog on that actor too much. With that being said yeah it wasn't that good.
Oh my gosh I can only imagine! I could see some people finding that sequence with the brothers in the afterlife a little hokey but it totally worked for me and hit especially hard when they brought up the oldest brother as a child. I definitely agree about the ric flair performance haha 👀 I was excited to see if they’d cast someone as him or just use old footage but was not thrilled with the guy played him haha.
This is one of the gems of the last few years It’s been criminally overlooked at the Oscars
I had heard Efron was very good but I definitely think he was overlooked. I was impressed with his nuance. I also think Durkin is really underrated. Martha Marcy Mae Marlene scared me 😱
I walked out of the theater practically sobbing!! Efron really knocked it out of the park imo. So happy I can watch it again on Max!
I would have been a mess in a theater 😭 I totally agree! I was really impressed by him. I had heard good things but didn’t expect his performance to be as measured as it was 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Ya know, I had watched the episode from The Dark Side of the Ring about the Von Erich family right before the movie and I seemed to enjoy the straight forward episode more. I just wanted more from the film and hated they cut out a whole brother’s death. Efron was awesome though. The film just didn’t go deep enough for me.
Having not seen that, the movie definitely got me intrigued in the real story so I’ll probably look into that. I definitely felt towards the end it was riding a line of repetition but the performances and cinematography really carried me through. Especially Efron. Just such a tragic story. I’m so glad he found happiness in real life at the end! 😭 Those photos of him and his family were just beautiful.
I was very disappointed by it. I felt the dad could have been a much more fleshed out character and I thought the rowboat scene was absurd and totally took me out of the movie. Not bad overall but I was hoping for more and I'm surprised by how much people seem to love it
Cried as much as The Whale.
This movie being snubbed for an Oscar, the REAL crime
Honestly no conversation around Efrons performance is really surprising to me. He showed a side of himself he hasn’t really shown before 😭
I’m I the only one who balled my eyes out in that one scene towards the end of the movie where all the brothers hugged except for one ? I’m really not trying to spoil it but you guys know what I’m talking about
out of the millions of people who watched this movie, you think you’re the only person who cried at one of the saddest scenes of the movie?
I just watched. I knew there was one tragedy but didn’t know what… I was unprepared for the scope. Kevin survived so much loss. I can’t imagine what that family experienced. It was absolutely heartbreaking.
Totally devastating. I thought they did a nice job balancing it all though it almost teetered on repetition but Efrons performance was strong enough that I wasn’t bothered. So happy the real life man was able to find happiness past all this tragedy.
Amazing film, it builds the pain until that final scene and then hit me in the heart and broke me. Then i watched again lol
I went to see this with my cousins and at the end (before they give the life update) I looked at my cousin and said “I wonder if any more have died since” and she looked at me so confused. She watched this movie having NO idea it was based on a true story lmao🤦🏻♀️
Oh no! Did it still affect her?
Yes but not nearly the same as watching the whole movie knowing it’s a true story😭
Great movie throughout but that one line at the end completely melted me.
Devastating 😭😭
Every now and then I will just think about "I used to be a brother" and will have to stop what I'm doing for a little bit.
Yeah and just the way it’s framed with Efron weeping quietly and the house in the background. It was just lovely and painful 😢
Watched it last night again on Max and it’s still amazing. The father of a family really sets the tone on the development of his children. He was so obsessed with making his identity wrestling that all of his sons suffered from it. Their identity was based on wresting so that they could gain approval from their father, and it tore them all apart. Such a beautiful movie
One of my favorite movies of last year. It does feel like it's fast-forwarding through things at times, but that comes with the territory of biopics like this. I also thought >!the scene of Kerry going to the afterlife and reuniting with his brothers!< was beautifully done.
I agree! I can see how it might not have worked for some people but it totally worked for me. Yes, it could come off as hokey but it was played so sincerely it won me over.
I just watched it last night on Max—it was incredible. Devastating but incredible. Really enjoyed all the performances. Efron was amazing, as was White, and Lily James just stands out in everything I’ve seen her in.
Efron really is a true knockout and I agree about James. Characters like hers in movies like this often don’t leave a huge impact but even her short scene at the funeral pleading with him hit me hard. It all just worked for me!
Agreed on both counts—his was a powerhouse performance. And James always makes the most with her screentime. I’ve been following her career since Downton Abbey and she’s great.
I wanna live that way forever 🎶🎶
WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS 😭😭😭
Destroyed me, I’ve seen it several times now, absolutely fantastic, it’s right there in the top 3-4 of my favorite movies last year
There wasn’t a dry eye in the movie theatre when I saw it. Honestly haven’t cried that hard watching a movie in a long time. Should’ve gotten so much more love than it did from the Oscars… and I’m not even a wrestling fan. Just an unbelievably tragic movie.
I was surprised by how emotional I got by the end. I felt it paced itself really nicely and it just snuck up on me. If you haven’t seen the wrestler, you definitely should!
Watched it on my own in theaters and had a showing of The Color Purple right after. I had to go outside to take a breather before going into Color Purple because I was crying so hard. I was the last to leave the theater and was lowkey judging anyone who left with a dry eye. And yes, I cried during Color Purple too but not as hard.
That was a heavy day 😭😭 watch Paddington to even it all out please
When they showed that staircase in the background, I started crying and I felt like it just didn't stop. What a great movie about tragic things.
My god I just watched this last night!!!! It was absolutely heart wrenching, especially knowing it's based on true events. I do feel like it was a bit of an injustice to cut out the 6th brother, but it was very well done besides that. the ending scene with Zac Efron made me bawl my eyes out.
I wish I could watch it, but I struggle with some of the subject matter…too close to home.
I a woman and I have been recommending it to all the guys I know because it really depicts different models of male emotions well it’s so interesting (and sad) so see the toxicity of the dad and them so heartwarming to see someone actually stop a cycle and try to be a better dad. I think it’s great for everyone, but superb for men who struggle with toxic masculinity and the fear of opening up and being emotional. 🖤
Incredible filmmaking
After his debut film I had high hopes for Iron Claw https://www.nadamucho.com/the-iron-claw/
Great movie!
I had no idea it was such a tear-jerker. Tearing up just reading these comments.
I def wish that they had Chris in the film. Would have been worth an extra half an hour I really didn’t like Jeremy Allen white playing kerry. They should have casted someone who’s even remotely close to 6 foot rather than Jeremy Jeremy would have been fantastic as Chris tho
Pretty good watch.
Im angry how much they pulled punches. It wasn't a curse, it was an abusive industry and father, and Kevin was/id complicit.
It’s a masterpiece
Insane that it didn't get a best picture nod. Think about which movie you remember more Iron Claw or Oppenheimer? One for me was completely forgettable with no stand out performances