Ready to Rumble

Movie review by Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Ready to Rumble Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 15+

PG-13 movie has a lot of R-type material.

PG-13 2000 107 minutes
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Parents say

age 6+

Based on 1 review

Kids say

not rated for age

Based on 1 review

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that, despite the rating, this movie has a lot of R-type material, including incessant and very raw potty humor, strong language, sexual references, and a bare behind. Part of the adventure is sexual initiation for both of the leading characters. A bad guy tells an employee to have sex with someone to find out what he is up to. A girl "presents" a boy with sex as a gift.

Community Reviews

Coley81
Coley81 Adult
July 11, 2011
age 6+

Think twice!

My son is 5 and a big WWE fan, so despite it being rated PG13, I figured it might be a good watch for him. Was I wrong!! This should have been rated R due to the language and the MANY sexual references. Girls barely dressed, and at one point, there was a bare butt.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In READY TO RUMBLE, David Arquette and Scott Caan play Gordie and Sean, two likeable doofuses who worship "the King" -- wrestling champion Jimmy King (Oliver Platt), who seems to have appropriated his accent and substance abuse problem from that other King, Elvis. Horrified when the King is defeated by Diamond Dallas Page, they resolve to help him regain the title. This process leads them to encounter a van full of nuns singing Van Halen's "Driving with the Devil," a sultry Nitro Girl named Sasha (Rose McGowan), a tough old wrestling coach (Martin Landau), and the King's bitter ex-wife (Caroline Rhea) and snaggle-toothed son.

Is It Any Good?

Ready to Rumble is a sort of Bill and Ted's Excellent Wrestling Adventure. It's a movie for all those out there who can't wait for the next Adam Sandler movie, and especially for those who find those Adam Sandler movies a little too intellectually challenging.

Arquette and Caan are hard to resist. Most actors who play clueless characters can't resist show-boating to let us know how clever they are. Arquette and Caan just open themselves up to the inner dope. Their simple exhuberence, loyalty, and sweetness keep this movie from feeling too sour or tired. The able support of character actors like Platt, Landau, Joe Pantoliano (as the wrestling promoter), the sadly underused Rhea, an assortment of wrestling superstars like Goldberg and Sting and some good music help to keep it moving. This may also be the only soundtrack in history to feature both Kid Rock and Aaron Copeland.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how we pick our heroes, how we live up to our dreams, and how we learn which dreams to follow.

Movie Details

  • In theaters: April 7, 2000
  • On DVD or streaming: September 19, 2000
  • Cast: David Arquette, Oliver Platt, Scott Caan
  • Director: Brian Robbins
  • Studio: Warner Bros.
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Run time: 107 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG-13
  • MPAA explanation: language, crude humor, sexual content including brief nudity, and wrestling violence
  • Last updated: January 1, 2023

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