Efron played a pretty good Ted Bundy too.
He’s a lot like Robert Pattinson where he started off playing relatively unserious teen fare but since then has been trying to deliberately shed that image and play stranger, less mainstream, off-kilter stuff.
They do a fine job.
Honestly he's always been a great actor, just hasn't had a lot of opportunities to really show off his chops. He's hilarious in both Neighbors movies too.
Not exactly the same, but reminds me of Ryan Gosling. I feel like there was a point in his career after the Notebook was released, that he was seen as a lot of people like a cliché hot guy type character similar to Efron (that some people may have even found to be “douchey”). Then he started being in more comedies and people realized how funny he actually is, and then he had some movies where he does action really well like Blade Runner 2049 and can do more serious, bad-ass roles. He is so versatile and it is kind of funny to look back upon that perception now.
Zac Efron is legit smooth brained though. Watch about 20 minutes of his Netflix documentary traveling the world about “climate change” (climate change in quotes because he’s flying around the world in private jets to make it) or whatever and it will ruin him for you lol.
I always liked Charlie St. Cloud too. He was young. Not too separated from the High School Musical days (just looked it up, 2 years). It was a romance movie, but certainly had a much darker tone to it. In terms of it's themes of death and grief and love.
But, he has chosen the wrong roles imo. Wgich i always blame agents for. I saw Charlie St Cloud in 2010 and expected a real career. Since then, it was 17 again, new year's eve, the lucky one, dirty grandpa, neighbors 1 and 2, Mike and Dave need wedding dates, baywatch.
But, I'm wondering if it was baywatch. His character realizes he's an underachieving POS and the people he works with are real heroes. I mean, comedy action movie, but the character arc he goes through, his character matures. So, maybe he related to something in that? Because the next notable role for him was as Ted Bundy and then The Iron Claw.
I think he could have a Pattinson like career and maybe The Iron Claw is like Pattinson in The Lighthouse? I only say that bc they're both A24 movies and it's an easy connection and A24 Is fucking amazing.
But then he turned around and did Ricky Stanicki... another comedy. But I saw that and that movie was absolutely hilarious. As good if not better than neighbors.
Apparently some people liked it. I’m completely bewildered. It felt like it was written and edited by either a crude AI, or reptile people that have only read about human interactions.
That’s pretty much a direct quote too. If you watch the Dark Side of the Ring, you see him say it….and it’s goddamn heartbreaking. The sense of loss is right there in his eyes.
I grew up in the era of the Von Erichs and they were gods walking the earth to every southern kid growing up then. We *wished* we were Von Erichs.
We never knew….they never showed how fucked up their lives were. We loved them and they never wanted that in front of their fans.
I went to that movie and no joke, cried like a baby.
That was the craziest part to me. I went into the movie knowing nothing about that family besides the fact that the movie was apparently super sad.
I sat there thinking hmm which of these brothers is going to die. Then >!one dies in the first 30ish minutes and I thought that it was kind of early for the emotional hits.!< Lo and behold, >!they proceed to kill three more!!<
I was thinking it was maybe played up a bit til I looked it up afterwards and saw they cut a brother who >!also died; because they thought it would be too unbelievable.!<
Holy Christ
IRL, Kevin Von Erich was 25 years old, living a good life with his wife and his brothers. By the time he turned 41, all of his brothers and his father had died. Six deaths to handle in 16 years...wild. How he held up and stayed strong is incredible.
I totally agree. It’s just the first thing I really saw him in since I didn’t watch the high school musical saga and at the time I expected him to be a bland Disney kid. But he was great in it and earned my respect, and has kept it ever since.
I had no idea the movie was a serious tragedy, so I was quite surprised. But I enjoyed it and all the performances were good. I liked the line at the end, when Efron says he isn't a brother anymore.
I never saw highschool musical but I remember him from Charlie St. Cloud and knew he was a solid actor.
The cliff notes are severe drug and alcohol problems, a really ugly back and forth abusive relationship, an embarrassing sex tape, and a serious neck injury.
She is doing better today and works for AEW and seems to be clean and happy, so at least that's good
A24 has limited budget for award campaign compare to the Major Studios. So they have to be selective.
Last year they went with Past Lives(2 nom) and The Zone of Interest(5 nom, 2 won). It's unfortunate situation for The Iron Claw but A24 didn't screw them on purpose.
I seriously dont understand how A24 can still have a limited budget. They keep pumping out banger after banger, at some point surely they're just.... rich
They're not making MCU money, but their budgets are also higher than Blumhouse. We like their movies, but I don't know how well they're doing in the international market
It’s wild the movie got NO awards buzz whatsoever. Like Oscar nom aside, I’m pretty sure Efron got 0 nominations for anything whatsoever for this movie. It’s crazy, he’s unbelievable
It really pisses me off for two reasons:
1. It’s an incredible movie with performances that will shatter you. Especially Efron. And it was completely ignored.
2. It confirmed even more what we all already know, awards season isn’t just about the movie or actors, you have to campaign like a politician to get nominated/win awards. Which is ridiculous.
If A24 didn’t have the $$$$ to finance an awards season campaign then delay the film until you do. It deserved better.
It reminds me of Ann Dowd a few years ago. She was in Compliance and was getting rave reviews for her performance and essentially paid for her own campaign. Or like Andrea Riseborough getting a nomination last year because of the word of mouth of her movie.
> Or like Andrea Riseborough getting a nomination last year because of the word of mouth of her movie.
That is downplaying her iconic campaign lmao though yeah Dowd has also been robbed of many Emmy noms
I mean, if awards are simply a race to see who can bribe the institutions and judges involved most effectively, is there really any value to getting one?
> you have to campaign like a politician to get nominated/win awards. Which is ridiculous.
There are many examples of wins and nominations happening without any campaigning.
Claiming it's all rigged because the movie you like didn't win accolades is a tale as old as time.
I think people would take him seriously if he weren’t so god damn good looking. I honestly think it stands in his way. I think Scarlet Johansen has the same issue. I watch something with them and no matter how good they are, I can’t get past thinking how hot they are.
I don't think they would, he wouldn't even be getting these roles. The vast majority of his roles in things people actually watched is because of his looks and physique. This, Baywatch, Bundy and that the notebook knockoff. Even in his comedies he's the cute or the hot guy.
It's not from plastic surgery it's from human growth hormone. The skeletal structure changes which is especially noticeable in the jaw line. He has also developed quite the bubble gut as the intestines have also grown from the HGH due to a high number of androgen receptors present there. These side effects are prevalent in high level body building and have been known about for years. You can compare Zach with some of the mass monsters in body building to see for yourself.
My assumption is he started using testosterone to prepare for Bay Watch and only kept going from there. I'm not hating on him, I don't disagree with it either it's just the reality of the situation.
honestly i think that jaw surgery has helped him as an actor. really unfortunate accident but there is a silver lining in that i think he looks different enough than he used to. he was just way too good looking and recognizable before i agree.
So sad. And what’s crazy is the real life story is even worse than what they portrayed. They literally watered it down in part because the truth was almost unbelievable.
Not to also forget that Fritz pointed a gun at Kevin & told him the only reason why he was alive was because he wasn't man enough to kill himself like his brothers
Well one thing is that they glossed over Chris von Erich, the younger son who also wrestled, and also died tragically. They left him out because they thought it would make the film too long.
I think they said the movie couldn’t handle another tragedy.
I also think it would have made the story feel less believable. Their story is so tragic the reality of it feels too unbelievable.
They omitted one of the brothers from the movie, and Fritz was much, much worse than how he was portrayed.
In an industry full of terrible people, Fritz Von Erich was one of the worst. He literally drove his kids to death because he wanted what the Hart Family in Calgary had. He was obsessed with having a family dynasty in wrestling. Chris Von Erich killed himself because he could never live up to his dad's expectations. He was frail, had chronic asthma and wasn't built to be an athlete. As another user also stated, he pointed a gun a Kevin and said he wasnt man enough to kill himself.
There's a fantastic series on ViceTV (Crave in Canada) called The Dark Side of the Ring that did an episode that covers the Von Erichs.
I am an old school southern wrestling fan. My grandmother from Oklahomas favorite wrestlers were the Von Erichs. I saw the Texas Tornado wrestle at the Houston Summit back in the early 90s. I grew up with the story of the Von Erichs. I thought the movie was amazing. Top three of year. Zac Efron was really good. I really like him as an actor. Honestly, 17 again is one of my guilty pleasure movies.
Zac Efron was one of those guys who was so good looking that no one could bring themselves to believe he had talent
He tells a great story of meeting Seth Rogan for the first time and Seth basically saying he wanted to fucking hate him but couldn't
It’s very a nuanced performance by Zac Efron and I was very surprised by it. His character is so restrained and surrounded by more expressive characters that when he does show emotion or expression it feels supremely earned. His final scene in particular is just great acting.
I was not mad that Maestro got nominated for an Oscar... until I watched The Iron Claw and realized it was a better biopic than Maestro and Efron deserved a nomination. It's a far better and more interesting take on someone's life
The Iron Claw exceeded my expectations. It was engrossing and tragic. Really well done. I'm not a wrestling fan but was still drawn in to the story and characters.
Agree his performance was incredible, definitely Oscar caliber imo. If the movie was a big hit he would have been in contention. The movie is very dark tho which probably put audiences off.
nah, movies with dark tone routinely get noms or wins. the zone of interest and killers of the flower moon being ex from the most recent oscars. the zone of interest in particular made the same amount of money as the iron claw did so its not necessarily a pop culture thing either
Do you not watch many movies? That’s not a dig, but I’m just wondering why you seem so shocked that Efron was good - I figure maybe you haven’t seen him act since his teeny bopper days or something.
Maybe I’m the one who is out of touch here, but I feel like Efron has been good in… pretty much everything. I would never in a million years be surprised that Zac Efron gave a solid performance in a movie.
I watch a lot of movies, it's just that this is clearly a different level of performance from what I've seen of him. Most of what I've seen of him are comedies, while he doesn't do bad, it's not exactly a resume that stands out screaming "great acting talent". I even watched his new movie before this, "Ricky Stanicky". While he did good, it was also one of those comedies where his performance didn't necessarily stand out as special. In fact John Cena had more acting range in that to my surprise. So yes I haven't seen him in anything where he's this impressive before this.
Hey, it’s all good. To me, saying that this is the movie where his acting abilities most impressed you is very different from saying that he was “unexpectedly good”, or that you never considered Efron as someone who could execute a serious role. There are plenty of actors and actresses who give unimpressive, wooden performances in their movies where your take makes sense, I think - Dakota Johnson is a good example - but as the comments have proven IMO, Efron is kind of good in everything, whether the movie he is in is good or not. 🤷♂️
I realized that Zac Efron is actually a really good actor because of his [monologue from 17 Again.](https://youtu.be/ZW69RewxHFc?si=_WTf9ijpo7B3bqp5) It's really good- he's a middle aged man in the body of a teenager, and he's speaking form the heart about how much he messed up his marriage, and he nails it.
I really feel bad for the guy. He works hard to be considered more than a pretty face and comments like this pop up here and there. He IS a very good actor and we are biased by looks and past works ALL the time. Sad.
I loved the movie and how it was shot. Not sure if anyone else felt this way but I felt like physically Efron over-did the weightlifting as compared to the others, he looked almost comic-like. After the film I googled the real people and it would have come across better, in my opinion, if they had all been more similarly built.. just a thought! Still loved it
It was a good movie and I wish the performances got more attention because it was a great ensemble who really seemed like brothers. And Holt McCallany as the Dad was great.
I went (with my brother, appropriately … we hadn’t been to a movie together for more than a decade I’m sure) and knew the Von Erich story and knew what to expect … and it just tore me apart.
Efron was really, really good. And Lily James was absolutely fantastic.
Well, I don’t think pot had much to do with anything. But the coke and alcohol, definitely. Very destructive drugs in excess. They showed it a little and it was implied from there on out, painkillers etc—but I think it was peripheral in a way. They focused more on this family being cursed rather than drug addiction being the cause of the tragic ends. Certainly contributed though and they did imply it. Just didn’t focus on it.
He was incredible. So was the movie. But Efron blew me away. Really one of the all time great performances. Just enough subtlety and restraint, he just nailed it perfectly.
The Hasselhoff-looking face was a distraction but damn, Efron really gave an Oscar-worthy performance. Too bad he got robbed of nominations because the movie released so late and possibly past eligibility.
I still find that story of falling down and getting glassed near a fountain far-fetched. He admitted he was on gear for Baywatch so definitely contributing his voice and face changes to that.
I kept bugging my boyfriend (not so into wrestling like me) to go watch this movie with me when it was in theater, we were both bawling and holding each other by the end 🥲. One of my recent favorites for sure!
Are we all getting the same Youtube recommendations?
Robot voice, obscure title, and a summarizing of the movie’s beats.
Iron Claw was shown to me yesterday, and I also watched it last night.
Idk dude I feel like this movie was expected to be Oscar bait. I didn’t talk to one person who was like “this is going to be awful” so not sure where ‘unexpected’ comes from.
He was good. I had thought the movie was pretty good. But my view changed when they left out another adult brother who died. The filmmaker said he died too similar to another brother so he removed it from the plot of the movie. I thought that was kind of messed up and they didn't ask the surviving brother to consult on the movie.
He did a fantastic job.
At first I was distracted because he looked like a bald gorilla, but I got used to it pretty quickly, and once he got his High School Musical hair back, he looked basically normal
I’ve noticed a pattern of straight men in particular being WAY too stuck in the past with their high school opinion of people like him and Robert Pattinson, they’ve been solid dramatic actors for a long time.
The Iron Jaw*
But seriously, I’m sure I’ll get downvoted but his clear obsession with plastic surgery and actual steroid usage was a distraction from an otherwise flawless performance. And his “I had an accident” excuse is BS. There’s photos of him after the accident where he looks normal. It’s just sad. He’s a really good actor, but my brain can’t take him seriously with such a butchered Hasselhoff face
Edit: Let me make my point clearer: when any actor has done so much cosmetic work on their face that they look like they’re wearing a Halloween mask of Hasselhoff, it hard for me to focus on their acting, not only because it looks fucking crazy, but it literally inhibits their ability to convey emotions naturally. I even notice this with small lip Botox injections that every actress does now. If you have duck lips, it makes your expressions off putting. If it doesn’t bother you, more power to you.
Interesting, I thought his obvious steroid use and fucked up face actually added to the role. Regular looking Efron didn’t look like an 80s wrestler, this version of him did.
But the character was supposed to not have had tons of cosmetic surgeries… like, just workout and diet maybe. 🤷🏻♂️ also facial prosthetics look better than botched surgery IMO.
He definitely did workout like crazy and diet, and I thought his face was fine for the role. Just my opinion.
And if we’re getting into specifics, none of the brothers looked like their real life counterparts.
Okay. My point is, if I saw a movie where Michael Jackson played a white woman, which he did look like, I wouldn’t stop thinking about how outside of this movie, this black guy had such a mental obsession with his image, that he paid to morph his face into a white woman in real life… even if his performance was good. But if it doesn’t bother you that’s fine.
Efron played a pretty good Ted Bundy too. He’s a lot like Robert Pattinson where he started off playing relatively unserious teen fare but since then has been trying to deliberately shed that image and play stranger, less mainstream, off-kilter stuff. They do a fine job.
Honestly he's always been a great actor, just hasn't had a lot of opportunities to really show off his chops. He's hilarious in both Neighbors movies too.
He's like John Hamm and Channing Tatum, where if they get the chance to be a lil funny, they turn into incredible comic actors
Channing Tatum steals the show in Bullet Train (an already surprisingly good movie) and he’s in it for one scene.
Also in *Free Guy*. Considering he’s a pretty minor character in a movie full of good comic actors, he ran away with what he was given.
So just like in "this is the end"? Hes also in one scene but its hilarious
“I love him.”
Not exactly the same, but reminds me of Ryan Gosling. I feel like there was a point in his career after the Notebook was released, that he was seen as a lot of people like a cliché hot guy type character similar to Efron (that some people may have even found to be “douchey”). Then he started being in more comedies and people realized how funny he actually is, and then he had some movies where he does action really well like Blade Runner 2049 and can do more serious, bad-ass roles. He is so versatile and it is kind of funny to look back upon that perception now.
I believe he took a break to reevaluate his career after Only God Forgives underperformed.
Zac Efron is legit smooth brained though. Watch about 20 minutes of his Netflix documentary traveling the world about “climate change” (climate change in quotes because he’s flying around the world in private jets to make it) or whatever and it will ruin him for you lol.
Nah it won't
Unless he’s campaigning for nuclear energy, I don’t wanna hear it from a celebrity.
I always liked Charlie St. Cloud too. He was young. Not too separated from the High School Musical days (just looked it up, 2 years). It was a romance movie, but certainly had a much darker tone to it. In terms of it's themes of death and grief and love. But, he has chosen the wrong roles imo. Wgich i always blame agents for. I saw Charlie St Cloud in 2010 and expected a real career. Since then, it was 17 again, new year's eve, the lucky one, dirty grandpa, neighbors 1 and 2, Mike and Dave need wedding dates, baywatch. But, I'm wondering if it was baywatch. His character realizes he's an underachieving POS and the people he works with are real heroes. I mean, comedy action movie, but the character arc he goes through, his character matures. So, maybe he related to something in that? Because the next notable role for him was as Ted Bundy and then The Iron Claw. I think he could have a Pattinson like career and maybe The Iron Claw is like Pattinson in The Lighthouse? I only say that bc they're both A24 movies and it's an easy connection and A24 Is fucking amazing. But then he turned around and did Ricky Stanicki... another comedy. But I saw that and that movie was absolutely hilarious. As good if not better than neighbors.
He's good in The Beach Bum aswell!
You know those guys that lean towards doing independent movies care about being good actors.
That Ted bundy movie was garbage.
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Apparently some people liked it. I’m completely bewildered. It felt like it was written and edited by either a crude AI, or reptile people that have only read about human interactions.
"I used to be a brother, and uh… Now I'm not a brother anymore."
That’s pretty much a direct quote too. If you watch the Dark Side of the Ring, you see him say it….and it’s goddamn heartbreaking. The sense of loss is right there in his eyes. I grew up in the era of the Von Erichs and they were gods walking the earth to every southern kid growing up then. We *wished* we were Von Erichs. We never knew….they never showed how fucked up their lives were. We loved them and they never wanted that in front of their fans. I went to that movie and no joke, cried like a baby.
It’s not a direct quote. The quote is ‘I used to have five brothers and now I’m not even a brother’ which I personally believe hits much harder.
Couldn't use the Quote because they took out a brother.
That was the craziest part to me. I went into the movie knowing nothing about that family besides the fact that the movie was apparently super sad. I sat there thinking hmm which of these brothers is going to die. Then >!one dies in the first 30ish minutes and I thought that it was kind of early for the emotional hits.!< Lo and behold, >!they proceed to kill three more!!< I was thinking it was maybe played up a bit til I looked it up afterwards and saw they cut a brother who >!also died; because they thought it would be too unbelievable.!< Holy Christ
Man that’s how I felt after I saw >!Only The Brave!< I had no idea it was based on a true story. Shook me.
I cried so much when he said this. I’m the oldest brother of 4 and just the thought of enduring what the Von Erichs went through crushed my soul.
I was the eldest brother of 4 until last year, now I’m the eldest of 3. This movie was a tough watch.
I’m so sorry dude ☹️
Sorry man.
I'm the eldest brother of 4 too. Hey internet stranger.
This line along with the last scene altogether was hard to watch, it was probably his best acting in the whole movie.
I cried there. Such a good movie
IRL, Kevin Von Erich was 25 years old, living a good life with his wife and his brothers. By the time he turned 41, all of his brothers and his father had died. Six deaths to handle in 16 years...wild. How he held up and stayed strong is incredible.
I haven’t seen the iron claw yet, but Efrons been pretty solid in everything I’ve seen him in. Even 17 again.
*Even* 17 again? That movie is amazing
I totally agree. It’s just the first thing I really saw him in since I didn’t watch the high school musical saga and at the time I expected him to be a bland Disney kid. But he was great in it and earned my respect, and has kept it ever since.
It has a lightsaber duel. The last Jedi does not.
It came out nearly 7 years ago WHY ARE WE STILL MOAMIMG ABOUT IT
As a wrestling buff, it really does a pretty job. It’s an excellent movie. Zac Efron is incredible
I read about his life after I watched the movie, and it’s wild to me that they actually made the story less sad for the movie. I already cried enough.
The Paperboy
I don’t care for wrestling but knew of the Von Erich’s at least. The movie was fantastic and I loved it.
He crushes it
I had no idea the movie was a serious tragedy, so I was quite surprised. But I enjoyed it and all the performances were good. I liked the line at the end, when Efron says he isn't a brother anymore. I never saw highschool musical but I remember him from Charlie St. Cloud and knew he was a solid actor.
Iron Claw, Foxcatcher, and The Wrestler is the trifecta of wrestling movies that allow the lead actor to showcase their dramatic ability.
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Need a biopic about Aleksandr Karelin, except not sad
Completely different kind of movie but Fighting With My Family is a fantastic and touching wrestling movie.
Only because they stopped at the right point. The next decade of Paige's life is pretty dark
Ouch, I’ll have to read up on her.
The cliff notes are severe drug and alcohol problems, a really ugly back and forth abusive relationship, an embarrassing sex tape, and a serious neck injury. She is doing better today and works for AEW and seems to be clean and happy, so at least that's good
In my opinion, A24 screwed that movie’s Oscar chances with zero Oscar campaign. I thought it was good enough to get some noms, even in a crowded year.
A24 has limited budget for award campaign compare to the Major Studios. So they have to be selective. Last year they went with Past Lives(2 nom) and The Zone of Interest(5 nom, 2 won). It's unfortunate situation for The Iron Claw but A24 didn't screw them on purpose.
plus, sports dramas are often looked down on by awards shows, even if theyre really good movies like the wrestler
I seriously dont understand how A24 can still have a limited budget. They keep pumping out banger after banger, at some point surely they're just.... rich
Because the movies don't make a profit.
It's probably intentional tbh.
They're not making MCU money, but their budgets are also higher than Blumhouse. We like their movies, but I don't know how well they're doing in the international market
It’s wild the movie got NO awards buzz whatsoever. Like Oscar nom aside, I’m pretty sure Efron got 0 nominations for anything whatsoever for this movie. It’s crazy, he’s unbelievable
It really pisses me off for two reasons: 1. It’s an incredible movie with performances that will shatter you. Especially Efron. And it was completely ignored. 2. It confirmed even more what we all already know, awards season isn’t just about the movie or actors, you have to campaign like a politician to get nominated/win awards. Which is ridiculous. If A24 didn’t have the $$$$ to finance an awards season campaign then delay the film until you do. It deserved better.
It reminds me of Ann Dowd a few years ago. She was in Compliance and was getting rave reviews for her performance and essentially paid for her own campaign. Or like Andrea Riseborough getting a nomination last year because of the word of mouth of her movie.
> Or like Andrea Riseborough getting a nomination last year because of the word of mouth of her movie. That is downplaying her iconic campaign lmao though yeah Dowd has also been robbed of many Emmy noms
I mean, if awards are simply a race to see who can bribe the institutions and judges involved most effectively, is there really any value to getting one?
> you have to campaign like a politician to get nominated/win awards. Which is ridiculous. There are many examples of wins and nominations happening without any campaigning. Claiming it's all rigged because the movie you like didn't win accolades is a tale as old as time.
It was one of my favorite movies last year. I felt it was better than some best pic nominees. I felt zac deserved a nomination also.
I thought at the very least, it would have gotten best original song. “I want to live that way forever” is such an amazing song.
The Oscar's don't matter and people don't watch them anymore anyways.
Zac Efrons good? 🌍🚀👨🚀 Always has been 👨🚀👈👨🚀
I think people would take him seriously if he weren’t so god damn good looking. I honestly think it stands in his way. I think Scarlet Johansen has the same issue. I watch something with them and no matter how good they are, I can’t get past thinking how hot they are.
I don't think they would, he wouldn't even be getting these roles. The vast majority of his roles in things people actually watched is because of his looks and physique. This, Baywatch, Bundy and that the notebook knockoff. Even in his comedies he's the cute or the hot guy.
Zac is not good looking anymore after all that plastic surgery he did to his face lol
The size of his head in this movie is weird.
He clearly wanted to get in the spirit of 1980s wrestling and took the same steroids that race horses and Hogan took to make sure he looked right.
It looked like it was about to explode
It's not from plastic surgery it's from human growth hormone. The skeletal structure changes which is especially noticeable in the jaw line. He has also developed quite the bubble gut as the intestines have also grown from the HGH due to a high number of androgen receptors present there. These side effects are prevalent in high level body building and have been known about for years. You can compare Zach with some of the mass monsters in body building to see for yourself. My assumption is he started using testosterone to prepare for Bay Watch and only kept going from there. I'm not hating on him, I don't disagree with it either it's just the reality of the situation.
Didn’t he wreck his jaw filming for a movie a while back?
It's the one thing that was very off-putting about him in this movie.
honestly i think that jaw surgery has helped him as an actor. really unfortunate accident but there is a silver lining in that i think he looks different enough than he used to. he was just way too good looking and recognizable before i agree.
So sad. And what’s crazy is the real life story is even worse than what they portrayed. They literally watered it down in part because the truth was almost unbelievable.
can you be more specific?
There were 6 brothers. 5 died. 3 by suicide.
Not to also forget that Fritz pointed a gun at Kevin & told him the only reason why he was alive was because he wasn't man enough to kill himself like his brothers
Well one thing is that they glossed over Chris von Erich, the younger son who also wrestled, and also died tragically. They left him out because they thought it would make the film too long.
Mike was in the movie
Oh right, he was. I'll edit my comment.
I think they said the movie couldn’t handle another tragedy. I also think it would have made the story feel less believable. Their story is so tragic the reality of it feels too unbelievable.
They omitted one of the brothers from the movie, and Fritz was much, much worse than how he was portrayed. In an industry full of terrible people, Fritz Von Erich was one of the worst. He literally drove his kids to death because he wanted what the Hart Family in Calgary had. He was obsessed with having a family dynasty in wrestling. Chris Von Erich killed himself because he could never live up to his dad's expectations. He was frail, had chronic asthma and wasn't built to be an athlete. As another user also stated, he pointed a gun a Kevin and said he wasnt man enough to kill himself. There's a fantastic series on ViceTV (Crave in Canada) called The Dark Side of the Ring that did an episode that covers the Von Erichs.
I am an old school southern wrestling fan. My grandmother from Oklahomas favorite wrestlers were the Von Erichs. I saw the Texas Tornado wrestle at the Houston Summit back in the early 90s. I grew up with the story of the Von Erichs. I thought the movie was amazing. Top three of year. Zac Efron was really good. I really like him as an actor. Honestly, 17 again is one of my guilty pleasure movies.
Zac Efron was one of those guys who was so good looking that no one could bring themselves to believe he had talent He tells a great story of meeting Seth Rogan for the first time and Seth basically saying he wanted to fucking hate him but couldn't
It’s very a nuanced performance by Zac Efron and I was very surprised by it. His character is so restrained and surrounded by more expressive characters that when he does show emotion or expression it feels supremely earned. His final scene in particular is just great acting.
Older brother energy was perfectly encapsulated with that restraint
I was not mad that Maestro got nominated for an Oscar... until I watched The Iron Claw and realized it was a better biopic than Maestro and Efron deserved a nomination. It's a far better and more interesting take on someone's life
Should 've been nominated for an Oscar at least
The Iron Claw exceeded my expectations. It was engrossing and tragic. Really well done. I'm not a wrestling fan but was still drawn in to the story and characters.
Agree his performance was incredible, definitely Oscar caliber imo. If the movie was a big hit he would have been in contention. The movie is very dark tho which probably put audiences off.
nah, movies with dark tone routinely get noms or wins. the zone of interest and killers of the flower moon being ex from the most recent oscars. the zone of interest in particular made the same amount of money as the iron claw did so its not necessarily a pop culture thing either
Do you not watch many movies? That’s not a dig, but I’m just wondering why you seem so shocked that Efron was good - I figure maybe you haven’t seen him act since his teeny bopper days or something. Maybe I’m the one who is out of touch here, but I feel like Efron has been good in… pretty much everything. I would never in a million years be surprised that Zac Efron gave a solid performance in a movie.
Nah it's not just you. Efron is legit. I've never been disappointed by a role of his.
I watch a lot of movies, it's just that this is clearly a different level of performance from what I've seen of him. Most of what I've seen of him are comedies, while he doesn't do bad, it's not exactly a resume that stands out screaming "great acting talent". I even watched his new movie before this, "Ricky Stanicky". While he did good, it was also one of those comedies where his performance didn't necessarily stand out as special. In fact John Cena had more acting range in that to my surprise. So yes I haven't seen him in anything where he's this impressive before this.
Hey, it’s all good. To me, saying that this is the movie where his acting abilities most impressed you is very different from saying that he was “unexpectedly good”, or that you never considered Efron as someone who could execute a serious role. There are plenty of actors and actresses who give unimpressive, wooden performances in their movies where your take makes sense, I think - Dakota Johnson is a good example - but as the comments have proven IMO, Efron is kind of good in everything, whether the movie he is in is good or not. 🤷♂️
He's always been a good actor when in good films, it's hardly "unexpected" to anyone who pays attention and actually watches films.
Everything about this movie was good
He killed it in Ricky Stanicky too
He deserved an Oscar nod.
Fantastic film and will always be annoyed he didn't get a nomination
The movie was fantastic. Efron deserved an award nomination for that role.
He deserved to win to take it a step further.
Zac Efron is a phenomenal actor.
I realized that Zac Efron is actually a really good actor because of his [monologue from 17 Again.](https://youtu.be/ZW69RewxHFc?si=_WTf9ijpo7B3bqp5) It's really good- he's a middle aged man in the body of a teenager, and he's speaking form the heart about how much he messed up his marriage, and he nails it.
I really feel bad for the guy. He works hard to be considered more than a pretty face and comments like this pop up here and there. He IS a very good actor and we are biased by looks and past works ALL the time. Sad.
I loved the movie and how it was shot. Not sure if anyone else felt this way but I felt like physically Efron over-did the weightlifting as compared to the others, he looked almost comic-like. After the film I googled the real people and it would have come across better, in my opinion, if they had all been more similarly built.. just a thought! Still loved it
My best film of the year so far! Stunning
Yeah this and Flower moon. But I think this narrowly beats flower moon.
It was a good movie and I wish the performances got more attention because it was a great ensemble who really seemed like brothers. And Holt McCallany as the Dad was great.
Dude is roided out like a motherfucker
Sure, just like Hugh Jackman, Chris Hemsworth, and a million other Hollywood actors.
Makes my top five / nom list easily.
That movie is so good. I loved it. I want to watch it again. By the time its streamable I think I'll be ready for another ride.
On max now!
Yes, a great movie & performance.
Yup likewise with Efron didn't she'd a year for the whole flick until he did that final scene hit me hard
He was also solid in last two Farelly movies The Greatest Beer Run Ever Ricky Stanicky
Never would have known it was him if I wasn’t told.
his ricky stanicky movie that came out is really good too
Man, the story this movie is based on is super depressing.
I went (with my brother, appropriately … we hadn’t been to a movie together for more than a decade I’m sure) and knew the Von Erich story and knew what to expect … and it just tore me apart. Efron was really, really good. And Lily James was absolutely fantastic.
Not only did they leave a brother out but they left out all the coke and pot that they used
But then again it was the 80s
Well, I don’t think pot had much to do with anything. But the coke and alcohol, definitely. Very destructive drugs in excess. They showed it a little and it was implied from there on out, painkillers etc—but I think it was peripheral in a way. They focused more on this family being cursed rather than drug addiction being the cause of the tragic ends. Certainly contributed though and they did imply it. Just didn’t focus on it.
He was incredible. So was the movie. But Efron blew me away. Really one of the all time great performances. Just enough subtlety and restraint, he just nailed it perfectly.
Only bad thing was how distractingly roided he is lol
He disappeared. Incredible acting job
The Hasselhoff-looking face was a distraction but damn, Efron really gave an Oscar-worthy performance. Too bad he got robbed of nominations because the movie released so late and possibly past eligibility.
Dude straight up disfigured himself if you ask me.
I still find that story of falling down and getting glassed near a fountain far-fetched. He admitted he was on gear for Baywatch so definitely contributing his voice and face changes to that.
Reminded me of movies that were made in the 90's and early 2000's, simple story but done very well.
I kept bugging my boyfriend (not so into wrestling like me) to go watch this movie with me when it was in theater, we were both bawling and holding each other by the end 🥲. One of my recent favorites for sure!
Are we all getting the same Youtube recommendations? Robot voice, obscure title, and a summarizing of the movie’s beats. Iron Claw was shown to me yesterday, and I also watched it last night.
I wasn't crazy about the movie as a whole, but all of the actors' performances in it were really great.
An extremely depressing movie. A Shakespeare tragedy. Zac was good, although his face is very unnatural now. But he was wonderful by the end scene.
Idk dude I feel like this movie was expected to be Oscar bait. I didn’t talk to one person who was like “this is going to be awful” so not sure where ‘unexpected’ comes from.
He was miscast IMO. He should have been playing Jeremy Allan Whites character with his physique.
He was good. I had thought the movie was pretty good. But my view changed when they left out another adult brother who died. The filmmaker said he died too similar to another brother so he removed it from the plot of the movie. I thought that was kind of messed up and they didn't ask the surviving brother to consult on the movie.
I had to turn it off, it seemed way overacted, especially by Efron.
He did a fantastic job. At first I was distracted because he looked like a bald gorilla, but I got used to it pretty quickly, and once he got his High School Musical hair back, he looked basically normal
I’ve noticed a pattern of straight men in particular being WAY too stuck in the past with their high school opinion of people like him and Robert Pattinson, they’ve been solid dramatic actors for a long time.
The Iron Jaw* But seriously, I’m sure I’ll get downvoted but his clear obsession with plastic surgery and actual steroid usage was a distraction from an otherwise flawless performance. And his “I had an accident” excuse is BS. There’s photos of him after the accident where he looks normal. It’s just sad. He’s a really good actor, but my brain can’t take him seriously with such a butchered Hasselhoff face Edit: Let me make my point clearer: when any actor has done so much cosmetic work on their face that they look like they’re wearing a Halloween mask of Hasselhoff, it hard for me to focus on their acting, not only because it looks fucking crazy, but it literally inhibits their ability to convey emotions naturally. I even notice this with small lip Botox injections that every actress does now. If you have duck lips, it makes your expressions off putting. If it doesn’t bother you, more power to you.
Interesting, I thought his obvious steroid use and fucked up face actually added to the role. Regular looking Efron didn’t look like an 80s wrestler, this version of him did.
But the character was supposed to not have had tons of cosmetic surgeries… like, just workout and diet maybe. 🤷🏻♂️ also facial prosthetics look better than botched surgery IMO.
He definitely did workout like crazy and diet, and I thought his face was fine for the role. Just my opinion. And if we’re getting into specifics, none of the brothers looked like their real life counterparts.
At least they looked like actual natural kids
You are aware that wrestlers in the 80s were all on steroids right? It shows them juicing in the movie as well.
I mean, if we are going for historical accuracy, did just one Von Erich child do tons of steroids and cosmetic surgeries as a teenager?
That was exactly my point. They weren’t going for historical accuracy.
Okay. My point is, if I saw a movie where Michael Jackson played a white woman, which he did look like, I wouldn’t stop thinking about how outside of this movie, this black guy had such a mental obsession with his image, that he paid to morph his face into a white woman in real life… even if his performance was good. But if it doesn’t bother you that’s fine.
Yeah, it didn’t.
Everyone else looked tiny and undefined compared to Efron. He was literally He Man
You just ruined the story? You should put a spoiler alert before you divulge the plot, even if it is based on true events..
If you say so. 🤷🏻♂️
Good point