Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

Pulling John

2009 1h 13m Documentary List
Tomatometer 1 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
An arm-wrestling champion contemplates retirement.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Pulling John

Critics Reviews

View All (1) Critics Reviews
Christopher Long Movie Metropolis An exciting, entertaining look at a world most viewers aren't aware of. Rated: 7/10 Jun 22, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (27) audience reviews
Audience Member Surprisingly engrossing. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member The sort of documentary that you want to watch when you don't want to think too much about life and enjoy the quirkiness of a story that you might never have known too much about before you watch it. Not sure if the film maker is an aficionado of arm wrestling but whether he is or not, the film focuses simply upon three main characters and it sometimes feels like the premise for a rocky movie as you see their different paths to be the best in the sport. Highly amusing and worth a go. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Supermega awesome. One of the best on netflix. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member A thought-provoking and fairly captivating look at a world known to few, but made entertaining and enjoyable through good story-telling and the wonderful character of a humble champion idolised in his field. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review sean l A mostly superficial glance at the world of professional arm wrestling, framed around the late-career biography of John Brzenk, the sport's resident living legend. With twenty-five years of domination (and a role in Sly Stallone's infamous action bomb Over the Top) under his belt, Brzenk knows his days are numbered, and Pulling John introduces his two most likely usurpers: the quiet, contemplative Russian Vassiliki Khonsari and his bombastic American counterpart, Travis Bagent. The trouble is, since each man has dedicated so much of their lives to the sport, there really isn't enough engaging material behind any of them to support closer scrutiny. We see them work out, watch them prepare for a match, meet their family... and always reach an uncomfortable lull in the conversation when it becomes clear that's all there is to see. The matches are a real spectacle, incredibly tense and exciting, even though most are over within moments. That's more a compliment to the drama of the sport itself, though, and not the work of the filmmakers. The backstage stuff isn't especially interesting, except perhaps to especially hardcore arm wrestling enthusiasts, and the electricity of the events would be just as effective on an ESPN2 broadcast. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Awesome documentary on legendary Arm Wrestling champion John Brzenk! I had found this one on Netflix and was happy to give it a watch. It basically covers three arm wrestlers, one who dominated the sport for 2 decades and is contemplating retirement, and two other up and coming arm wrestlers looking to become legends themselves. It's a very entertaining tale, with lots of humor and suspenseful moments. The run time on this film is perfect and I would recommend this as a good buddy film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Pulling John

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis An arm-wrestling champion contemplates retirement.
Director
Vassiliki Khonsari, Sevan Matossian
Producer
Vassiliki Khonsari, Sevan Matossian
Production Co
iNK Stories
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 21, 2012
Runtime
1h 13m
Most Popular at Home Now