Below the Belt (1980 film)

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Below the Belt
Below the Belt (1980 film) DVD cover.webp
DVD cover
Directed byRobert Fowler
Written byRobert Fowler
Sherry Sonnett
Produced byRobert Fowler
Joseph Miller [1]
Starring Regina Baff
John C. Becher
Mildred Burke
Ric Mancini
James Gammon
Cinematography Alan Metzger
Misha Suslov
Edited by Steven Zaillian
Music by Jerry Fielding
Production
company
Distributed by Atlantic Releasing Corp
Kino Lorber [1]
Release date
  • September 16, 1980 (1980-09-16)
Running time
91 minutes [2]
CountryUnited States
Language English

Below the Belt is a 1980 American wrestling comedy film. Made in 1974, it was not released until 1980. It is loosely based on the novel To Smithereens by Rosalyn Drexler and tells the story of a New York City waitress who becomes a professional wrestler. Several real-life wrestlers were cast in the film, which was director Robert Fowler's first feature film. [2]

Contents

On release the film carried an R MPA rating. [2] It had a limited release outside the United States, receiving a 12 certificate in the United Kingdom. [3]

Plot

The film was inspired by the memoir To Smithereens by Rosalyn Drexler (who wrestled as the "Mexican Spitfire", the same as Rosa in the film). [1]

Wrestling promoter Bobby Fox witnesses waitress Rosa Rubinsky forcefully fending off an unwanted sexual advance outside a restaurant in a New York sports arena. Fox suggests she become a pro wrestler.

After several months of part-time training at a local gym, Bobby Fox takes Rosa on the road with a group of other wrestlers, touring the Southern States. Rosa is still in training, and while she has doubts about the itinerant lifestyle, she perseveres, and bonds with the other wrestlers in the troop. Rosa, billed as Rosa Carlo "The Mexican Spitfire", ends her year-long apprenticeship with her first pro fight. It is in Birmingham, Alabama, against a well-established local favorite, Tommy “The Terrible”. After being booed on entering the ring, Rosa defeats Tommy, who accidentally knocks herself out. The crowd cheer and chant Rosa's name in appreciation. Leaving her doubts behind here, Rosa's wrestling career had begun.

Cast

Several of the cast were professional wrestlers, with no background in acting, including Mildred Burke, a three-time women's world champion.

Release

Although made in 1974, the film was not released until 1980, [4] first appearing in US cinemas on September 16, 1980. [5]

Reception

Critical response

The film received generally poor reviews, most reviewers finding the film enjoyable and authentic, but lacking in substance. Janet Maslin in the New York Times commented that the film "is appealing, but it is also on the aimless side, as it follows the evolution of Rosa Rubinsky, waitress, as she becomes Rosa Carlo, the Mexican Spitfire. ... Below the Belt does not treat any of these women as freaks, and it is not a voyeuristic effort. Mr. Fowler's direction captures an unexpected sweetness about these feisty characters, even if it lacks the forcefulness that could turn the film into something more than a curiosity. Regina Baff gives a spunky, if untutored, performance as Rosa, and her easygoing presence contributes a lot to the film's feeling of naturalness." [2]

Dennis Schwartz on Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews gave the film B-, describing it as “A feel-good lady wrestling road pic that’s ahead of its time. It’s enjoyable despite its slightness. There are lots of wrestling matches and colorful wrestlers, it captures the ups and downs of life on the road, and re-creates the seedy wrestling atmosphere. It goes out of its way to show how far from glamorous is the lifestyle, and tells us that most of the ladies are in the business for fame and fortune." [4]

Time Out described it as a "cheapo independent precursor of Aldrich's California Dolls , adapting road movie clichés to the women's wrestling circuit, which lacks – if you'll excuse the expression – the balls of classic exploitation." [6] An online review on filmfanatic.org observed that the film "contains plenty of authentic insights into the seamy world of low-rent wrestling, showing both the challenges and the bonds that occur along the way ... it all adds to the amiably paced flow of the film, which is more ethnographic than plot-driven." [7]

The film scored 27% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on only one review. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Below the Belt". WorldCat.org. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Janet Maslin (31 August 1983). "Screen: 'Below the Belt' at Forum". New York Times . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Below The Belt". www.bbfc.co.uk. British Board of Film Classification . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Dennis Schwartz (19 May 2013). "Below the Belt". Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Below the Belt 1980". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Below the Belt". Time Out (magazine). September 10, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Below the Belt (1980)". filmfanatic.org. September 11, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
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