YOU CANNOT KILL DAVID ARQUETTE: Cult Actor Does A Welcome Heel-Face Turn

You cannot kill David Arquette, you really cannot. For a guy with such an unwieldy career, he’s bounced back time and time again, giving an opportunity for a filmmaker to chronicle his story. David Darg and Price James happen to be fortuitous in their timing, capturing this ultimate redemption arc in the Scream actor’s saga. Using the term “rollercoaster of a journey” can be a cliché way to describe a whirlwind turn of events, but the footage here truly merits the descriptor.

“The man is invincible!”

This highly entertaining documentary, which follows Arquette pursuing a full-time career in wrestling, takes its title from a song by the Black Math Experiment that pays homage to the man. They make a strong case for his unique place in pop culture, rapping the following to succinctly summarize his career: “The man is invincible! He was in Scream 1, Scream 2, Scream 3. If they make a Scream 4, he’s coming back as a goddamn cyborg. He was in Ready to Rumble and he was the WCW Champion for two weeks. He was in Eight Legged Freaks where he battled giant spiders. Giant spiders for God sake.”

Despite being produced by his wife Christina McLarty, the film lays bare all of Arquette, warts-and-all. We hear the perspectives of those close to him who are deeply concerned, such as McLarty and his doctor, and those who just think he’s a joke – the spectators who see him wrestle and the convention hosts who hate him for his WCW stint. The doc details his bad habits, from alcoholism (a complicated roundabout) to the time wrestling takes away from family, and most significantly, the physical toll this endeavor on his body. Heart attack one year, a death match the next. The desire to wrestle becomes a drug, stemming from his addictive personality.

You’re concerned about his physical state from the get-go, but this documentary is shrewd enough to go behind the scenes and examine his mental state, clearing up certain worries in the process. For those who think it’s sad that he’s wrestling now, we all learn just how much he loves the sport, along with his dedication to train, how he knows exactly what he’s signed up for, and that his family is by his side through it all. It’s especially lovely to see McLarty cheering him on and his daughter Coco getting a kick out of the wrestling clips that she shows to her mom Courteney Cox, who can’t bear to watch them.

Kayfabe as cinematic style

The thrill ride traverses a variety of scenarios including a backyard fight, street wrestling in Mexico, and a finale at the Legends of Wrestling, where he was unfavorably received the previous year. His opponent is somebody who longtime wrestling fans will recognize – once known as Mr. Kennedy in the WWE, he now wrestles on the indie scene as Mr. Anderson.

From the staged opening sequence of Mr. Anderson doing some promo for the fight, the filmmakers have fun making their documentary so cinematic, snappily editing sequences together. They don’t shy away from loosely constructing scenes, such as Arquette meeting WCW veteran and famed yoga instructor Diamond Dallas Page, a moment that feels like Beatrice Kiddo going to Pai Mei’s temple for training in Kill Bill Vol. 2. The illusion of realism – known as “kayfabe” in the ring – during these moments smartly parallels the goal of a professional wrestler.

The one misstep in terms of cinematic elements is the excessive use of maudlin music to underscore the film. It almost feels like the filmmakers are shouting at us to feel something rather than trusting us to do it ourselves. Their picture is fairly extreme to begin with, so the lachrymose score is overkill. Oddly enough, though, the mushiness fits with the convincing notion that pro wrestling is really just a live-action soap opera for men.

To join or not to join

Chances are if you’re watching this film, you already know David Arquette‘s career and maybe even consider yourself a fan of the actor-turned-wrestler. But if you aren’t, it’s the job of You Cannot Kill David Arquette to persuade you into his cult following, as it highly sympathizes with the actor’s hopes and dreams of succeeding in the independent wrestling circuit, decades after he supposedly tarnished the sport. Through style, humor, and a dash of poignancy, the film does a good job of selling you on joining Arquette in his singular odyssey.

Have you followed David Arquette’s professional wrestling journey? What do you think of this career shift? Let us know in the comments below.

You Cannot Kill David Arquette opens in drive-in cinemas across the US on 21 August 2020. It will be available on digital and on-demand in the US from 28 August 2020. International release dates are yet to be confirmed.

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