QUEEN OF THE RING: 2 STARS. “no peaks and valleys, just peaks.”
SYNOPSIS: “Queen of the Ring,” a new sports drama now playing on theatres, is the (mostly) true story of Mildred Burke, a female wrestler who defied skeptics to become a champion when all-girl wrestling was banned in most of America. “I can’t sing and I can’t dance,” she says, “but I can tell a story and beat some ass.”
CAST: Emily Bett Rickards, Josh Lucas, Tyler Posey, Francesca Eastwood, Marie Avgeropoulos, Deborah Ann Woll, Cara Buono, Adam Demos, Martin Kove, Kelli Berglund, Damaris Lewis, Gavin Casalegno, Walton Goggins, Mildred Burke. Directed by Ash Avildsen.
REVIEW: Mildred Burke (Canadian actor Emily Bett Rickards) is a pioneer in wrestling history. A three-time women’s world champion she was the queen of the ring and enjoyed a career that was anything but standard. It’s a shame then, that her biopic, “Queen of the Ring” is such a straightforward affair.
Director Ash Avildsen (son of “Rocky” director John G. Avildsen), working from his own script, never met an inspirational moment he couldn’t heighten. According to “Queen of the Ring” Burke’s every move, in and out of the ring, is worthy of a fist pump and some stirring music on the soundtrack. There are no peaks and valleys. Even when she faces hardship there’s just peaks, which blunts the effectiveness of the film as a hero’s story.
The result is a cartoonish portrait that doesn’t feel authentic.
