AllMovie

Acclaimed director Shane Meadows (Dead Man's Shoes, This is England) offers a glimpse into the life of a most unlikely professional wrestler in this mockumentary charting WWE-obsessed aspiring grappler Mark Sherbet's quest to make a name for himself in the ring as "The Purple Salamander." For the last twenty years, Sherbet's life has revolved almost entirely around the WWE; his room is filled with ostentatious replica belts, his shelves are lined with hundreds of wrestling figures, and his walls are plastered with images of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Sherbet has planned his rise to fame as "The Purple Salamander" down to the last details, including his signature moves "The Checkerboard" and "How d'ya like them apples." But despite all of Sherbet's ambition, the fact that he weights only nine stone and has the pain threshold of a young child makes him an unusual pretender to the throne of wrestling greatness. Still, until Sherbet has his chance to fail on his own terms, he isn't about to give up the dream.