The Resurrection of Jake the Snake (2015) Reviews

• Addiction, Recovery, & Redemption

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  "The Resurrection of Jake the Snake" is a documentary that many may assume only appeals to wrestling fans, or to be even narrower, WWE Fans. This does a great injustice to a film that, at its core, is about addiction and recovery. WWE produces some great pieces about their stars, past and present, but this is not a WWE film. This film is a raw, gritty, emotional roller coaster that leaves the viewer at times in tears of both joy and sadness. It can be uncomfortable to watch at times. It is supposed to be. Addiction cannot be truly documented in a glossed over fashion. Will fans of Jake "The Snake" Roberts enjoy this film? Of course. But you will come away knowing more about Aurelian Smith Jr., the man behind the wrestling tights and python. That is where this film is different, and will be captivating for those who know little to nothing about him or professional wrestling. Many media outlets seemingly took great joy in covering Jake's downfall over the last decade-plus. His battles with addiction played out in the public eye on many occasions, and he easily could have been "just another statistic" for talking heads to bring up when another wrestler dies. His battle back to sobriety, harmony with his children, and harmony with himself is brilliantly captured over the course of over two years of filming. This is also a story of fame, and the effects of its absence. It is about brotherhood. Brotherhood, and the fraternity and bond between two men is ultimately what saved Aurelian Smith and resurrected Jake the Snake. I have seen it said that this film is a "WWE hype piece" or that it is an "infomercial for DDP Yoga." This makes me wonder if any of these reviewers actually watched the film, or if they did, how often they looked up from their mobile device or whatever it is they were working on at the time, because they clearly came in knowing only a synopsis and with a preconceived notion of the film. Is WWE footage in the film? Yes. Which is really quite amazing as they are guarded with the use of their material. As a publicly traded company that now tries to provide family friendly content, having their footage in a film such as this, that has very strong language at times and deals very frankly with the subject of abuse and addiction, as well as the injuries stemming from a life in the ring, probably was not an easy decision. I would assume it was given only out of respect to Jake and the importance of the story being told. To say that this is a WWE hype piece is absurd. Did Dallas Page use his yoga program to help Jake get back in shape and find some focus? Absolutely. But it is a small portion of the film and the many steps Jake had to take to battle back. If you add up the screen time that features anyone doing yoga, I do not think it could amount to five minutes. To act as if a 900 number is popping up on the screen every five minutes is disrespectful to the passion Steven Yu clearly had in making this film and to the love and friendship that Dallas has for Jake. The 93 minutes of this film flew by. I personally cannot wait to watch it again and share it with others. What I am most excited about is sharing it with those who don't care about wrestling, those who have never heard of Jake. I want to see if they are as moved and affected as I was, because I truly believe that this film has something to offer everyone. Obviously, I'm a fan of wrestling, and a lifelong fan of Jake. This film was personal for me. It was hard seeing the man I idolized at five years old in such a self- destructive state. The fact that he was able to finally battle back and find his redemption is something that should be celebrated. This film does that, chronicling every step of the journey that brought him there. I commend Jake, Dallas Page, and Steve Yu for bringing this to us. I also hope and believe that it will be a wake-up call to those battling addiction to reach out for help, and see that no matter how badly the monster has its claws wrapped around them, there is always hope.

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• The dark side of fame.... Your history does not have to be your destiny

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  Jake 'the snake' Roberts was something different, he didn't look like a bodybuilder, he didn't shout and scream at the camera. He was unique. He wowed us all with his persona, a mix between Cape Fear's Max Cady and Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle. I always new Jake struggled with substance abuse but never realised the extreme levels it got to that are shown in this film. To see one of your childhood heroes reduced to an overweight addict, barely able to walk, clinging to life by the hope that one day he will hear the cheer of wrestling fans once more is truly heartbreaking. Jake pulls no punches in explaining his demons and addictions, never once trying to blame anything or anybody but himself. This brutal honesty and the eloquent way he describes his daily battles with addiction are really compelling to watch - without directly saying so, Jake demands that you don't feel sorry for him - but you can't help it. It takes an old friend, a man that looked up to, respected, and learnt from Jake - that man being Dallas Page (DDP) opening his life and home to help his mentor and friend. We see the ups and downs that living with an addict can bring - betrayal, lies, soaring highs, incredible lows. DDP's unyielding support to his friend is very touching. DDP refuses to allow Jake to give up, a rare quality that more of us should employ. The change that Jake goes through is remarkable from both a mental and physical standpoint. All the while receiving that one thing that Jake craves and lives for - acceptance and admiration from the fans, and more importantly, reconciling with his family. I hope that this documentary finally gives Jake the launching pad, support system, whatever you want to call it, to start living life instead of surviving it.

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• Broke my wrestling heart

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  There are stories that make you upset and the there are stories that drive you to utter pain. Im only 34 years old so growing up I was a huge Jake the snake fan. You always hear stories of how the road affected these guys health back in the day, but you don't think of the impact it has later in their lives. To watch Jake from the beginning to the end of this docu it was amazing. I never would have in a million years thought he would have been in that bad of shape mentally and physically if I didn't see it with my own two eyes. Also, to see another one of my heroes Scott Hall recover the way he has made my inner 10 year old wrestling fan nearly jump through my skin. Way to go scott!! I absolutely recommend anyone who is in the process of recovering, or anyone who is just a true wrestling fan like myself to drop what you are doing and watch this flick. What Dally is doing with these guys is truly amazing. Heck, my wife and I purchased DDP yoga right after watching it!!

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• It's not the snake, you should be afraid of. It's the poison. Drug Abuse is just awful. Glad, to see Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, overcome his addiction.

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  The documentary is in many ways a real-life version of Darren Aronofsky's 2008's The Wrestler, but unlike that tragedy fall from grace movie. This movie directed by Steve Yu, is an unfiltered tale of redemption. It's about an everyman tying to redeem himself, after years of drug abuse. It chronicles a beaten-down, semi-retired wrestler, Jake 'The Snake' Roberts (Aurelian Smith Jr.) trying to recapture his glory days by getting him, back into shape by yoga with the help of his friend and former wrestler, Diamond Dallas Page (Page Joseph Falkinburg). But it's become more of that, when another ex-wrestler, Scott Hall was introduce into Jake 'The Snake' Roberts & Diamond Dallas Page's program. While, yes, it takes away, a lot of the screen-time, away from Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, but it also nice to see that he was also getting help for his problems with substance abuse. It's also nice to see, these two different types of men, try to work and live, each other. You get to see, the good and bad side with their relationship. While, the movie does show some relapse between Jake 'The Snake' Roberts trying to kick the habit, however, it's not as disheartening as his last appearance in a documentary. The 1999 documentary film, Beyond the Mat, exposed fans to the career low of him. Yes, there is a lot NSFW language, and stories about child abuse, but unlike, Beyond the Mat, this movie doesn't go, that dark into his demons. The movie is surprising, more uplifting than depressing. You really see, the positive change within Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, being showcase here. However, there were some flaws that the movie fails to talk about, these three men. Some of the historical facts about the men, isn't that true. First off, in a minor note, the DDT was a move that Jake 'The Snake' Roberts might not have invented. In truth, the earliest known practitioner of the move was Mexican wrestler Black Gordman, who frequently performed it during the 1970s. Another thing, that kinda bug me, is why the movie interview, several wrestlers that had little to do with Jake's career, like Chris Jericho (Chris Irvine) or Edge (Adam Copeland). I don't remember, much of them, hanging out with Jake 'the Snake' Roberts that much, nor being huge fans of his work. It's seem a bit, out of the blue. Another thing, the movie doesn't talk about is, how the movie makes no mention of Roberts and Hall, going to a WWE Sponsor drug rehabilitation in 2007 & 2010, before the film supposed started in 2012, nor does explain, why DDP even started DDP Yoga. You would think the movie would give some time, explaining, that after his own wrestling career ended, Page found himself racked with pain. Damaged vertebrae caused several specialists to tell him his only option was surgery. Page instead found yoga. Since then, he has crafted his own brand of exercise that borrows heavily from American-style version of "Ashtanga Style". Yes, the film does showcase, a few footage of them doing the exercises of this American-style yoga; the movie never explain, why this work-out help Jake 'the Snake' Roberts and Scott Hall, so well, when other health exercises didn't. The movie makes it, seem like DDP Yoga is the only thing, that save Jake 'the Snake' Roberts & Scott Hall's life, when it wasn't. I would love, to see, more scenes with Roberts and Hall interacting with their ever-growing families. In my opinion, I believe that's the main reason, why they were save. There were far, too little scenes with them, interacting with their sons and daughters. Another thing, that the movie doesn't explain, is how Jake 'The Snake' Roberts is a supposedly a born-again Christian. You would think the movie would showcase, a bit about his newly found faith, rather than going with the over-the top Rocky 3 friendship type ending. Don't get me wrong, I think, his friendship with DDP, played a big part of his life, but his new belief in God, probably played a bigger factor in his change. The last thing, I felt the movie should had mention, was his struggles with cancer. After all, between his times training for the Royal Rumble in 2014, and his Hall of Fame speech, later that year; he was diagnosed with cancer. You would think the movie would, use that, as a good way, to show, how Jake 'The Snake' Roberts dealt with life's tribulation, being sober; but the movie doesn't. I guess, it wouldn't fit, with the overall theme of tribute toward the end of the film. Overall: As of early 2016, it's nice to see Jake is back in shape, clean, and is once again close with his family thanks to the help of his friends and family. It made for a very entertaining and emotional ride. This documentary is worth-checking out.

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• Not so much about wrestling as addiction

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  I was a WWF fan in the 80s. I was a devout watcher, following the weekly feuds of colorful rasslers like Hulk Hogan, Ted Dibiase, Randy Savage, and Jake "The Snake" Roberts. I outgrew the pseudo-sport in my mid-teens, but I have kept an eye on the further lives on the heroes of my youth. So many of them met with early deaths, and mostly because of substance abuse. Jake Roberts was almost a punchline for this. Him and Scott Hall were so badly out of control.... DUIs, arrests, embarrassing public displays.... that everyone was amazed they were still alive. Jake was a memorable character... as a face (a good guy) he was sinister, and as a heel (a bad guy) he was downright malevolent. He was in shape but never was as muscular as most of the WWF talent. But when we first see him, it drives home the reality of what destructive living does to you. He looks sickly. He has a gigantic gut. His legs and arms have withered away to bony sticks. At this time, he's in his late 50s and is far too young to be looking that old. In fact he looked to be on Death's Door. Then DDP comes to the rescue. It shows Jake's recovery from alcohol and drugs. It's not just any celebrity rehab -- this is a man who basically was the face of substance abuse. A man who had been through dozens (literally) of rehab programs. What makes this different from most movies like this... is that Jake backslides. A lot. So many movies like this show them at rock bottom and then endeavoring to get clean, and making it in one big arc. That's not anywhere near how addiction recovery works. Jake seems to be doing great, and then he turns up drunk again. He loathes himself but freely admits he's going to do it again. It's frustrating, like two steps forward but three steps back. For this, it's a very real look at how substance abuse recovery is a very, very long road with a lot of setbacks. Even if you don't watch wrestling (or hate it), you still will be moved by this documentary. It not only shows Jake's personal pain, but it shows how his family (particularly his adult children) are hurt by his actions. Even when things are looking up, most of them (particularly his sons) are dubious that this time will be different. In the end, Jake is clean. Will he stay clean? Probably not. But it's a very good and sometimes heartwrenching look into the world of substance abuse.

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