That's What I Am 2011 ★½

Watched Aug 17, 2012

This is as safe and comforting as a coming of age story gets, the surprising thing is that it comes from WWE Studios. Whilst it matches the lack of subtlety in all their films it doesn’t share their typical bombast. Set in 1960s America, this is a film steeped in nauseating nostalgia with its Wonder Years style narration that spells out everything and heavy handed message of tolerance and discovering the true people behind their awkward facades.

Whilst it is undoubtedly the best thing the studio have produced to date it is still a pretty weak film with a laboured and disappointingly trite message. Ed Harris attempts to provide some class to proceedings but he is saddled with a one-dimensional character - a perfect and idolised teacher who, on-screen at least, appears to be pretty useless relying on simplistic soundbites and little else. Wrestler, Randy Orton, appears briefly and is predictably wooden but the major problems with the film come with a predictable script that goes through all the coming of age trappings: school bullies, first love, overbearing parents and idealised pasts.

Familiar, safe and pretty boring: That’s What I Am is a film you’ve seen countless times before.

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