Based on the true story of how creepazoid gazillionaire John DuPont (of the DuPont family) “adopted” US wrestling for a time in the mid 1980s. There’s not a lot of money in wrestling (the real kind, not the entertainment kind), so when a weirdo with money builds a state-of-the-art wrestling center on his estate, it’s an offer too good to reject. Of course, things go from weird to creepy to unhealthy to dangerous in a one way spiral of madness. DuPont has created a fantasy land disconnected from reality. He pines for the approval of his aloof mother, and wants desperately to be “someone important”. Instead, he’s just a rich fool… Deep down, he knows this, so he fills his life with distractions and tries to buy his way into relevance.

Like most movies based on a true story, this one takes liberties with how things actually happened. But the essence of the actual events and characters is there. It’s a dark movie from start to finish. Even the somewhat lighthearted moments are tense. If I had any complaint, it’s just that the sound is too quiet. I realize it was like this purposefully – to help set the mood (and it worked), but on a purely practical level, I need at least a little volume to be able to hear what’s being said.

The acting was all excellent all around. Steve Carell deserves a gold medal for his portrayal of DuPont. I get the heebee-jeebee’s just thinking about it.