The Iron Claw (2023) review

"Inspired" by their father Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany), who's a professional wrestler that goes by the nickname "The Iron Claw," his sons Kevin (Zac Efron), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson) and musician Mike (Stanley Simons) follow him into the ring and achieve "success," but unfortunately they experience multiple tragedies (which Kevin attributes to a "family curse"): David dies while on tour in Japan (supposedly from acute enteritis), Mike overdoses on sleeping pills and alcohol (after having suffered brain damage from toxic shock syndrome) and Kerry shoots himself in the chest.  The cast is okay - they're a bunch of good-natured lunkheads - but it has a major internal issue: the "drama" during the bouts is negated by the fact that the matches are, ahem, "planned out" in advance (although clearly it's still dangerous and people have gotten hurt), and then when it comes to the "real-life issues," it can't help but go overboard with the sadness.  To try to "compensate" for the misery, it concludes in the most cloying manner possible: Kerry "reunites" with his brothers in the after-life and Kevin bonds with his children playing backyard football.  I'd have preferred it end with an actual piledriver and a roaring crowd.