The Weirdo Hero

The Weirdo Hero is a 2015 Canadian independent theatrically released short film about a professional wrestler dealing with depression.[6][7][8][9] The film uses animation together with live-action.[10] The film stars professional wrestler Theo Francon in the lead role as "Fabulous" Frankie Myers, a play on his real life ring name "Ravenous" Randy Myers.[11][12] The film was partially based on Francon's own life and experiences with depression.

The Weirdo Hero
Directed byRyan Curtis[1]
Written byTheo Francon
Produced byDerek Hird[2][3]
StarringTheo Francon[4][5]
Release date
  • 31 August 2015 (2015-08-31)
Running time
40 minutes[5][1]
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Plot

After winning the main championship of his promotion professional wrestler "Fabulous" Frankie Myers struggles with depression as his real life responsibilities come crashing down around him. Fighting with undiagnosed depression and treading water financially his efforts are made harder by a cartoon version of his subconscious terrorizing him with doubts of his capabilities until he finds himself on the edge of a breakdown.[1][13][14]

Cast
  • Theo Francon as "Fabulous" Frankie Myers[15][1][16]
  • Hayley Gray as Gina[15][4]
  • Brady Roberts as Gary[15]
  • Jason Cecchini as Riley Zucchini[15]
  • Ty Olsson as Harold the Hare (voice)[15]
  • Briana Buckmaster as Security Guard Jules[15]
  • Phyllis Ramie Groves as Nurse Tammy[15]
  • Allixandra East as Sandra[15]
  • Sandy Hammond as Amy[15]

Production

The film was directed by Ryan Curtis who formerly worked on the television series Supernatural. Filming took place in Port Coquitlam. The shooting of the finale for the film done before a live audience after three warmup matches by wrestlers from the wrestling promotion ECCW.[17][18] Theo Francon rehearsed scenes with director Ryan Curtis and the participating audience was credited in the film as extras.[19][20]

Release and reception

The film had its red carpet premiere on August 31 at the Rio Theatre in Vancouver.[14][21] The film was nominated for a Leo Award in the category Best Costume Design in a Short Drama.[22] Ryan Curtis won the Golden Lion Award in 2015 at the London Film Awards for Best First-Time Director.[23][24] The film was followed by a YouTube webseries.[25] It was selected for the 2017 Whatashort Independent International Film Festival.[26]

References
  1. "The Weirdo Hero (2015)". Moviefone. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  2. "Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Times March 17 2015 by Maple Ridge Times - Issuu".
  3. Landreville, Troy (12 March 2015). "Pitt Meadows grappler producing The Weirdo Hero". Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  4. Dueck, Trevor (11 March 2015). "Knights of Dunsmuir: Ravenous Randy Is Your Weirdo Hero". vancitybuzz.com. VanCity Buzz. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  5. "The Weirdo Hero". Cinema Quebec. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  6. "A Wrestler Faces His Toughest Opponent in 'The Weirdo Hero'". Art With Impact. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  7. Gillard, Stacey (6 March 2015). "The Weirdo Hero: A Film About Depression and Wrestling". @STAKE. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  8. Kurucz, John (12 March 2015). "Film shines a light on depression". Tri-City News. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  9. Byer, Matthew (3 April 2016). "'The Weirdo Hero' to wrestle with depression". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  10. Heitger-Ewing, Christy (11 March 2015). "The Weirdo Hero: Filmmaker Creates a Movie to Show What Depression Feels Like and to Inspire Those Who Suffer to Seek Help". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  11. http://www.kisw.com/blogs/steve-migs/who-weirdo-hero https://www.webcitation.org/6wHYbkDiV?url=http://www.kisw.com/blogs/steve-migs/who-weirdo-hero
  12. "SPN Survivors". Archived from the original on 28 January 2018.
  13. "The Weirdo Hero". Cinema Montreal. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  14. "The Weirdo Hero". Rio Theatre. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  15. "What are the characters in The Weirdo Hero movie". actorole.com. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  16. Jonca, Lukasz (13 March 2015). "Wrestlers use film 'The Weirdo Hero' to inform about depression. PoCo's ECCW, wrestlers Theo Francon and Derek Hird involved in short film project to highlight challenges of depression". Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  17. "Wrestlers use film 'The Weirdo Hero' to inform about depression". ECCW. 5 September 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015.
  18. Gillard, Stacey (13 August 2015). "Weirdo Hero – My Introduction To Movie-Making". @STAKE. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  19. Jonca, Lukasz (16 March 2015). "Filming of The Weirdo Hero with Theo Francon a.k.a. Ravenous Randy Myers successful". Tri-City News. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  20. "'The Weirdo Hero' Wrestles with Depression: Short film shines a light on the secret life of suffering". dailyjobber.com. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  21. "Short Film". Los Angeles Cinefest. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  22. "2016 Leo Awards Nominees by Program". Leo Awards. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  23. "2015 London Film Award Winners". London Film Awards. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  24. http://www.brewstarstheseries.com/amenities/ https://www.webcitation.org/6wHYrCWVG?url=http://www.brewstarstheseries.com/amenities/
  25. "The Weirdo Hero Webseries". YouTube. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  26. "2017 official selection". Whatashort.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
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