I grew up watching the Von Erichs on TV. I know the timelines pretty well. So, watching this movie left a lot to be desired.
On the good side- the actor playing David was spot on. He looked, sounded, and moved like David did. The actor playing Fritz was also a good likeness, and captured the passion, if not the reality, of Fritz towards wrestling. The actress who played Pam was very good, though the accuracy isn't really a big deal, since Pam isn't a celebrity. Same for Doris, played with very few lines by the usually reliable Maura Tierney. Mike is also portrayed well, if not physically accurate.
Sadly, that's all the good. Kerry got really shafted in being portrayed by an actor so short, he should have played Chris (who was omitted entirely!) Zac Effron plays Kevin like he was a brain-damaged simpleton.
The Freebirds and Harley Race looked good, but were barely used, the timelines are all screwed up (many months passed between Kerry winning the NWA title, and the motorcycle accident) (Mike died years after David, but the baby didn't age like that) (Kerry and David were both married and had children, David losing a baby that ended his first marriage.) This would have been much better as a series on Amazon or Netflix, to give the time to really develop the characters.
On the good side- the actor playing David was spot on. He looked, sounded, and moved like David did. The actor playing Fritz was also a good likeness, and captured the passion, if not the reality, of Fritz towards wrestling. The actress who played Pam was very good, though the accuracy isn't really a big deal, since Pam isn't a celebrity. Same for Doris, played with very few lines by the usually reliable Maura Tierney. Mike is also portrayed well, if not physically accurate.
Sadly, that's all the good. Kerry got really shafted in being portrayed by an actor so short, he should have played Chris (who was omitted entirely!) Zac Effron plays Kevin like he was a brain-damaged simpleton.
The Freebirds and Harley Race looked good, but were barely used, the timelines are all screwed up (many months passed between Kerry winning the NWA title, and the motorcycle accident) (Mike died years after David, but the baby didn't age like that) (Kerry and David were both married and had children, David losing a baby that ended his first marriage.) This would have been much better as a series on Amazon or Netflix, to give the time to really develop the characters.