Getting Physical (1984)
The world of female bodybuilding provides the backdrop for this tale of an aspiring young actress who initially becomes interested in the sport as a means of self-defense following a physical attack by two men, but then finds that while concentrating on building up her body her relationship with her parents, with whom she is living, and her new-found boyfriend, a young cop, is breaking down. Several noted bodybuilders and iron-pumpers, male and female, put in appearances to give this production an added authenticity.
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Very disappointing...
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
There is something I find so hot about non-professional physique women posing - the ones that are in the biz look so bored by it all, but seeing Alexandra Paul flex is... you get the idea :-BRachel McLish is also very sexy, and the fact that she is a bit mentally crazy just adds to her eroticism. I liked that scene of her in Pumping Iron 2: The Women, where she hits a shot of Jack Daniels before she goes back onstage. Good times. Crazy, buff, and egotistical, my dream woman.I am going to repeat myself to get to 10 lines. Rachel McLish is also very sexy, and the fact that she is a bit mentally crazy just adds to her eroticism. I liked that scene of her in Pumping Iron 2: The Women, where she hits a shot of Jack Daniels before she goes back onstage. Good times.
This movie has it all: love, friendship, the fight for self-esteem, parental battles and...female body-building?In "Getting Physical", a put-upon and particularly chubby young woman (Paul, who's probably never had a chubby day in her life), gets tired of her life of ridicule and misery, and decides to get her life and health back together by (how else?) lifting weights and training to be a professional body-builder. Under the tutelage of old pro Nadine Cawley (Bergman, still as sinewy as she was in "All that Jazz"), Paul pumps and primps and becomes the belle of the barbell set, so to speak. Much to the chagrin of her boyfriend (Naughton, long gone from his Dr. Pepper days), she shows more muscle on the beach than he, which upsets his fragile male ego to no end. Then, there's her hard-to-please father (Webber? Puh-leeze....) who can't understand why the lady looks like a dude.All of this, of course, leads to a final competition where Paul poses alongside real-life champs like Lyon, Csencsits and McLish (always a pleasure to see her). But consider, would a woman with Paul's build (no matter how hard she's been training) be able to stand up alongside pros like these and not get laughed off the stage? Not likely, but thank goodness there's always TV.How does the competition end? Does Paul make her dreams come true? Does Naughton finally accept his buff babe? Does Daddy think his little girl is good enough? You seen many TV movies lately? You have to ask?Five stars. As noted before, the posing scenes come off best, and could make a movie all by themselves. But, if the video store is out of "Pumping Iron II: The Women", try to find "Getting Physical"...and fast forward it to near the end.
Despite appalling script and acting, this film is well worth seeing. This is because it features a (fictional) female bodybuilding contest which features many of the early stars of the sport, such as Rachel McLish, Lisa Lyons and Candy Csentsits. They all look very beautiful, not like today's gargantuan female bodybuilders. This section of the film should definitely be watched with one finger on the pause button (if you know what I mean!)