American Wrestler: The Wizard
2016 · Movie · PG-13 · 117 min · ★ 7.2
In 1980, a teenage immigrant flees unrest in Iran and lands in a small American town where the hostage crisis fuels suspicion and bullying. Hoping to belong, he joins a struggling high school wrestling team and pushes through prejudice, family strain, and tough training to prove himself.
Also known as American Wrestler · The Wizard
Where to watch
Streaming on Howdy.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 2016
- Release date
- 2017-05-16
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 117 min
- TMDB rating
- 7.2/10 (84 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a heartfelt, underdog sports drama that mixes high school competition with themes of prejudice and belonging, similar to Fighting with My Family or Seabiscuit; Not for you if you’re tired of familiar sports-movie beats.
Pros: inspiring true-story energy; emotional and easy watch; engaging wrestling moments | Cons: familiar underdog formula; some clichéd characters; uneven believability at times
Themes
- sports
- hostility
- wrestling
- wrestler
- based on true story
- wrestling coach
- iran
- teenage boy
- ostracism
- 1980s
- wrestling team
Cast & crew
George Kosturos
as Ali
Jon Voight
as Principle Skinner
William Fichtner
as Coach Plyler
Lia Marie Johnson
as Kristi Larsen
Kevin G. Schmidt
as Rowan Knox
Gabriel Basso
as Jimmy Petersen
Shannon Collis
as Wendy
Courtney Hope Turner
as Jenny
Ali Afshar
as Hafez Tabad
Nicholas Guilak
as Pasha
Directed by Alex Ranarivelo