I’ve been a fan of the Longstreth’s films so far. Not only do they really know how to poke fun at a topic, but they really have the whole filmmaking razzmatazz down, and that’s because they have carved their niche. Take a beloved, or hated pop culture craze and completely turn it on its ass. And it’s worked for them. Whether it was the hysterical “Zombies in my Neighborhood” or the fun “Nintendo Old School”, they know what they’re doing. “Real Men of the Mat” can be a full length parody on high school wrestling, but the short is just as good. “Real Men” focuses on a wrestling team that takes the sport much too seriously. Aaron Longstreth is hilarious as coach Doug, the man who pushes his men to strive for the best, including one named “Mad Dog”. One laugh inducing moment occurs when two of the players admit to the camera that the name “Mad Dog” was really just a joke. The fact they even took an insult seriously really makes “Real Men” something of a brutally clever parody. Whether it’s the wrestlers who do nothing but laugh at the “star” player, or the janitor who even finds their training disturbing, “Real Men” is another fun jab at a ridiculous past time: sports obsession.

“Real Men” is sadly not the Longstreth’s at their best. With “Real Men” I honestly expected a funnier sharper spoof on the sport of wrestling, and “Real Men” unfortunately comes off much too uneven to be very funny. The Longstreth’s are usually very funny together when approaching a topic that’s ripe for parody, but “Real Men” is never really as much of a parody as more a satire. I was never sure if much of what went on during “Real Men” was intended more as a tragicomedy, or a comedy, and that indicative by the sudden ending. What was the point there? Was it a statement on how sports, even high school wrestling, is taken much too seriously, or was it just supposed to be a gag? I was never sure.

Despite being slightly heavy-handed in the climax, "Real Men of the Mat" is a funny, and entertaining commentary on people who take sports way too seriously, even at the cost of futures.

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