I can't believe it. I'm giving this movie five stars out of five. I just finished watching it and I am just floored by it! I tried not to like it, but it slowly grew on me until I was in the zone.

Leo and his dad possess a very close father and son relationship, one that I think most sons would love to have or have had with their dads. However the dad is quite demanding and aggressive in his approach to his son's success as a future big-time wrestler. He incessantly pushes and pushes and pushes his son toward excellence, even at the expense of his son's health and mental well-being. The dad is not a mean man by any stretch, he is just driven ... driven to see his son attain what he could not.

I don't care how strong a person is or how much resolve one has the capacity for, you can only stretch a rubberband so taut before it breaks. Leo patiently endures the demands of his dad because his need for approval is strong, yet there are dissenting voices 'shouting' from the sidelines (personified by his mom, girlfriend, and uncle) to get him to see that he is headed for disaster if he continues to put himself in peril in order to reach his elusive goal.

The inner turmoil that ensues causes Leo to make a decision he deeply regrets, and nothing is the same again.

I have been a huge Vision Quest fan for years and years. Reversal began slowly, and I thought to myself, "this will never measure up to Vision Quest." But I was wrong. This movie is a much better product than Vision Quest because it is more realistic with regard to the details. Gut-wrenching is putting it mildly, pun intended. The final wrestling scene is profound - especially since there is no music playing during the match. You have to see it to know what I mean. The end of the movie is very powerful. If you want to view an extremely quality flick about the rigors of making weight, peer/parent pressures, and the fallout of choices made, purchase this movie!

This is a great movie about wrestling. It tells the truth of what can happen to a child if pushed to hard. It is great and enjoyable.

This was a great movie. It makes you very aware of the way things were done in that time. With the new rules now I feel that wrestling is a safer sport ( not that you don't have the kids that still take laxatives and starve themselves). The new rules just make it a little harder. The story was very down to earth. We can't make our children live out OUR hopes and dreams. It has to be something that they want. And this movie proves that you have to want it very badly and you have to work extra hard for it. You don't have to spend a lot of money to make a good family movie.

Can I give this zero stars? Why do we indulge quitters in our society? If you know nothing about wrestling, don't watch this film as your introduction. I wrestled in high school and college and have been coaching for 24 years. If you are part of the fraternity of wrestling you will know that this movie has passed from our lore. People still watch Visionquest, because it illustrates the sacrifice and determination that is required to be a champion in sport or life.

This film is the same old tired dramatization of the angst of a kid who didn't have what it took and foisted the blame on everyone but himself. The saddest thing about it is that the folks involved probably made more money than any hard working high school coach will make in a career. My coaches pushed me extremely hard, and because of that everything in my life has been easier.

This story is pathetic. I live for the day that it goes out of print.
It is a blueprint for how to lose in sport and life.

Reversal tells the story of high school wrestler Leo, who is trained by his father. I enjoyed watching other wrestling movies, like Vision Quest and Hadley's Rebellion and I'm glad I saw Reversal but there are more than a few problems with it.

The film's biggest fault is its lack of focus. It's not sure if it wants the main story to be the sacrifices teenage athletes have to make, or Leo's relationship with his girlfriend, or his father.

Also, a lot of the characters are paper-thin; more specifically, Jimi Petulla is spectacularly miscast. As the father/coach he should be a blue-collar coal worker who spends his time swabbing down the wrestling room floor but instead he looks as if he's just walked off the set of Desperate Housewives. In fact, he's such a nice guy it is hard to see what Leo is rebelling against.

Danny Mousetis as Leo is fine but he's so grumpy and sullen it's hard to have much sympathy for him.

The cinematography is great and the wrestling action is for real but this is not enough to save a movie which has so many acting and structural problems.

As the DVD extras show, a ducumentary on high school grappling is what is really needed. A wrestling equivalent of Friday Night Lights is something I would pay good money to see.