The movie that launched a thousand wig memes is finally out. Based on the true story of the Von Erich family, The Iron Claw stars Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White as two members of a great wrestling dynasty who faced a lot of tragedy alongside their fame. The patriarch of the family, Fritz Von Erich was a popular wrestler in the ‘60s and ‘70s because of his finisher, known as the Iron Claw. A few decades later, post-retirement, he became the WCCW (World Class Championship Wrestling) President, and sheperded his sons Jack Jr., Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris, into the sport.
Though the campy ‘90s costumes and scenes of the family dancing that have been released on social media make the story seem like a semi-comedy, the boys faced terrible tragedies in the course of their lives, which were almost all cut short. Most of the film focuses on Kevin as he tries to piece the story of his family back together and avoid the mistakes of the past.
All-in-all it’s a pretty heart-breaking tale and a very compelling one. The movie was released in theaters on December 22, 2023, but some people may want to cry in the privacy of their living rooms while watching it.
Where is The Iron Claw streaming?
There’s no set date yet for when the movie will be available to stream, but A24 has made a deal with HBO that allows all their movies to be streamed on MAX as they’re released for at-home viewing.
If you’d like to learn more about the family in the meantime, you can watch Kevin Von Erich’s emotional speech he gave in 2009, when the entire Von Erich family was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.