Narrated by actor and former Lake Stevens wrestler Chris Pratt (The Five-Year Engagement; Moneyball), On the Mat chronicles the Lake Stevens High wrestling team as they battle their way through the regular and post season facing a variety of trials and triumphs. The team has one of the best programs in Washington State but is coming off a disappointing fourth place finish in 2010. The film follows a handful of individuals looking to defend their school’s reputation including the team leader and highly dedicated Ryan, the 140 pound dark horse star named Steven who is on the brink of being kicked out of school, sophomore Eric whose season is threatened by an ACL injury, Jesse, the dyslexic 103 pounder who has a variety of hurdles to clear, and their head coach, Brent Barnes.
Though presented with an air of arrogance, On the Mat provides a great inside look into the world of high school wrestling. It clearly and accurately portrays the sport for what it is while teaching the audience the fundamentals of it. Director Fredric Golding got very lucky with the footage he captured from the team and the types of characters that were on it because it results in an emotional journey for all involved.
My favorite aspect of the film was how nonchalantly everyone dealt with the issue of cutting weight. There were guys saying they had to cut 10 pounds in a few days like it was no big deal whereas most people would cringe and cry foul. They make the necessary sacrifices for their team in the hopes that they can succeed on both an individual and team level.
Because Chris Pratt is a former wrestler he knows exactly what these kids are going through. I myself am a former four year high school wrestler and was able to immediately connect to his stories and how wrestling can shape your character, values and drive if you put your heart into it. There was one thing that Pratt said that really hit home. He was talking about how if he had quit wrestling he would have made all these defensive arguments fo
r himself like the sport’s stupid, it’s not healthy, it’s gay, why would I want to roll around on a mat with guys, etc. But because he stuck with it, he can say he accomplished something very strenuous and difficult for a teenager, that when the going got tough he didn’t give up. This allows him to now walk around feeling confident because he did something that challenged him and pushed him to the brink. This is something every wrestler feels and it’s something we exhibit when we enter the real world.
If you’re a wrestler, watching this documentary can be pretty fun, especially when we watch a kid with a torn ACL qualify for states and see a 103 pounder who was knocked unconscious during a district qualifier come back and make it to states. This is the stuff that is simply awe inspiring and what makes the sport amazing. At the same time, the film doesn’t offer up anything new to people that have wrestled, you’ve already lived it and this is merely a means to reminisce. For people who ride wrestling off or don’t know much about it, this documentary should open your eyes and hopefully let you into our world and understand what it means to us. If anything, watch the documentary for each of the wrestlers’ personal stories, some will really surprise you.
Rating: An accurate and rightfully dramatic inside look at the extremely competitive and hardcore world of high school wrestling (6.5/10)
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