The Main Event (2020 film)
The Main Event is a 2020 American comedy film directed by Jay Karas, from a screenplay by Larry Postel and starring Seth Carr, Tichina Arnold, Ken Marino and Adam Pally. It was released on April 10, 2020, by Netflix.
| The Main Event | |
|---|---|
.png) Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Jay Karas |
| Produced by | Richard Lowell Jay Karas Rupert Parkes Renee Young Adam Pally Keith Lee |
| Screenplay by | Adam Pally Seth Carr Keith Lee Renee Young |
| Story by | Larry Postel |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Rupert Parkes |
| Cinematography | Karsten Gopinath Dan Schalk Rupert Parkes Larry Postel |
| Edited by | Dan Schalk |
| Animation by | Richard Lowell |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
A young boy, Leo (Seth Carr), has a dream of being a successful WWE wrestler. His Grandma Denise (Tichina Arnold) is supportive of his love of wrestling. Leo's dad, Steve (Adam Pally) and Denise send him off to school. Leo's parents are divorced and his mother took off. Leo rides his bike to school, where he meets up with his friends. They get bullied by another boy who teases their love of wrestling. Ms. Cartwright, a teacher, intervenes and sends them to the principal.
After school ends, the bullies confront him and chase him on their bikes, but Leo manages to hide inside a house which is holding an estate sale. Inside, Leo finds a box with a wrestling mask inside. He takes it home after the man in charge gives him permission. At home, he sees an advertisement for a WWE competition. Later, during an argument between Steve and Denise, Leo overhears how his mom left Steve for someone else and is also having a hard time making home payments.
Leo goes to his room and tries on the mask. All of a sudden there is a major transformation in him where his voice deepens, and takes on an extraordinary strong personality. He realizes that he has super strength. He does a Google search and discovers the mask is noted in a legend that only a genuinely deserving champion can use its powers.
At school, Leo confronts his bullies, and using the mask overpowers them. Erica, a schoolmate he has been interested in, is impressed and they become friends. But he is punished and sent home from school. Leo decides to audition for the wrestling competition, and wearing the mask. Eventually, it comes down to him and wrestler Smooth Operator (Keith Lee) as the finalists. Leo beats Smooth and becomes the finalist for the competition, and he would go up against famous wrestler Samson.
Leo's fame begins to alienate his friends and even Erica. He later realizes and confesses to Denise that he thought the mask would solve all of his problems, but things are only getting worse. Leo apologizes to his friends, and they forgive him.
Samson and his manager switch Leo's mask with a regular one. The competition begins, and Steve watches on TV at home. Samson brutally beats Leo, and Leo realizes the mask is a fake. Steve rushes to the match. Leo climbs up the grid surrounding the ring to hide and realizes that Samson is afraid of heights. Leo taunts Samson to climb up and causes him to pass out cold. Leo jumps down on top of him, officially winning the match.
Leo gets the $50,000 check and a contract with NXT, but confesses on TV that he is only 11. They accept the money but pass the opportunity for the wrestling contract over to Smooth. WWE told Leo when he is older, there will be a place for him in the organization. Two weeks later, Leo is on the school wrestling team. Leo has gained confidence without the mask and he has the opportunity to wrestle his bully with his dad cheering him on from the audience.
Cast
- Seth Carr as Leo
- Tichina Arnold as Grandma
- Ken Marino as Frankie
- Aryan Simhadri as Riyaz
- Momona Tamada as Erica
- Glen Gordon as Caleb
- Keith Lee as Smooth Operator[1]
- Babatunde as Samson
- Josh Zaharia as Trevor
- Dallas Young as Mason
- Bodhi Sabongui as Luke
- Renee Young as Herself
- Corey Graves as Himself
- Kofi Kingston as Himself
- Sheamus as Himself
- The Miz as Himself
- Adam Pally as Steve
- Lucie Guest as Ms. Cartwright
- Otis as Stinkface
- Mia Yim as Lights Out Leslie
Production
In June 2019, it was announced that production on the film would begin that week in Vancouver.[2] Moreover, it was announced that Seth Carr, Tichina Arnold, Ken Marino and Adam Pally would star in the film, with professional wrestlers Kofi Kingston, The Miz, Sheamus, Otis, Mia Yim and commentators Renee Young and Corey Graves also appearing.[2]
Release
The Main Event was released on April 10, 2020 by Netflix.[3]
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 28% based on 18 reviews, and an average rating of 4.97/10.[4] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5]
References
- "In 'The Main Event,' a magical mask helps an 11-year-old boy topple the wrestling stars of the WWE". April 9, 2020.
- "Seth Carr, Tichina Arnold, Adam Pally and Ken Marino Star Alongside WWE Superstars in Jay Karas' "The Main Event" for Netflix and WWE Studios". The Futon Critic. June 19, 2019.
- Lawler, Kelly (March 19, 2020). "Netflix: Everything coming (and disappearing) in April 2020 (including 'Matrix,' 'BlackAF')". USA Today. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- "The Main Event (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
- "The Main Event (2020)". Metacritic. Retrieved May 31, 2020.