Review: ‘Resurrection of Jake the Snake’ smacks of WWE-fueled self-promotion
Longtime wrestling fans have been well aware of the precipitous fall of beloved WWE star Jake “The Snake” Roberts, the python-handling baddie of ‘80s fame whose drug and alcohol problems turned him into a retired has-been, family pariah and fodder for TMZ.
The hard road back to sobriety, health and a measure of dignified veteran status at WWE events is the focus of director Steve Yu’s documentary “The Resurrection of Jake the Snake,” which is really more a glorified infomercial for the wellness regimen of Roberts’ onetime ring protege (and producer of the film) “Diamond” Dallas Page.
After a flurry of testimonials to Roberts’ greatness from wrestling’s giants — Chris Jericho and Steve Austin, among others — we see Page trek to Texas to recruit his overweight, aching and broke mentor into joining his fitness recovery program at Page’s Atlanta digs. Then it’s pretty much a homebound reality show, alternating between the crusty-voiced Roberts tearily singing the praises of renewed hope when it’s all working, and slipping into old habits when it’s not, to the dismay of the similarly emotional and gravelly toned Page.
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Roberts is a compelling figure. Capturing this broken bull’s struggle with inner demons and let’s-get-ready-to-grumble pessimism, often bumping up against Page’s positive, no-nonsense attitude, makes for occasionally gripping if admittedly voyeuristic viewing.
But the movie itself is ragged and routine, and hardly a minute passes by without a logo for Page’s business in the frame, or a spoken platitude (“my history is not my destiny”) delivered to the camera. Yu even puts himself in the movie, which suggests self-promotion rather than anything truly objective.
Though the central story is built to inspire, and surely will for the many followers of wrestling who love a comeback (and know the ending given away by the title), the whole enterprise smacks of a pilot for something that might be called “Celebrity Wrestler Rehab.”
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‘The Resurrection of Jake the Snake’
No MPAA rating
Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Playing: Arclight Culver City
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