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10 years ago, at Sheena's (Amanda Crew) official good-bye party - she
was going to conquer the world as a professional wrestler - Corey (Chris
Marquette) made a fool of himself proposing to her (and being turned
down). He has since gone through hard times and eventually wound up being
a deli clerk. Sheena has since had a wrestling career - which had fallen
on hard times as well though, so she decides to attend her local high
school reunion ... where she accidently knocks out Corey. But Corey's
hell-bent to win her over this time around, which is easier said than done
as Sheena's planning her comeback, and she's pretty much in a relationship
with her manager, slick Tab (Niall Matter). But Corey somehow convinces
her to quit wrestling, and when Tab persuades her to do one last fight,
Corey persuades her to do it locally, in her hometown where everything
started. But Tab isn't one to give up quite as easily on his girlfriend
and cash cow, so he takes over organisation (and to be honest, he's quite
capable, too) - and brings in talent scouts from a Japanese wrestling
league Sheena always dreamed of joining. So Corey pretty much fights a
losing fight ... Now to be totally honest, everything's not
great with Chokeslam, its subtext of putting small town life over
following one's dreams and never let go of one's high school love, so
matter how much she hurt you, is a bit narrow-minded - but shared with a
gazillion of other romantic comedies. What makes this one work are its
numerous eccentric supporting characters, from Corey's small fry crook
friend (Michael Eklund), his mother (Gwynyth Walsh) and her lover (Mick
Foley), to his psychotherapist who works menial jobs on the side (Agam
Darshi) and a batshit crazy wrestler (Harry Smith), but even more than
that that the film's set against a wrestling backdrop, which means despite
the romance there's always a brawl around the corner, there's action
aplenty, and the whole thing's well enough paced to not keep one from the
fighting for too long. Maybe no masterpiece, but decent fun for sure.
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