2023 was the year of the biopic. Or was it 2022? Make that 2021. Let’s face it: year after year, awards season after awards season, movie-lovers are inundated with so many of them, it’s easy for some to get lost in the shuffle. With high-profile films such as Maestro landing on Netflix in December and Ferrari vrooming its way into theaters, The Iron Claw – and Zac Efron’s heartbreaking, nuanced performance – has relied mostly on a word-of-mouth campaign (and a trailer that hardly does the film justice) to gain steam.

To be clear, I am not a wrestling person. The Von Erich family was not a name with which I’d ever crossed paths. Nor had I given a second thought to the well-documented familial drama or so-called “curse” their name carries. Nailing the role of Kevin Von Erich was no small feat. Efron’s physical transformation was striking (I vividly remember the buzz when on-set photos leaked) and the emotional range needed to play the eldest living Von Erich son was huge. Yet, Efron rose to the challenge.

As the lead brother in the film, the circle of strong supporting characters relies on his ability to portray Kevin as a man who is tough-as-nails in the ring, yet very much still a little boy vying for his father’s love and acceptance. Their parents encouraged the brothers to “figure out their problems between themselves,” and they certainly tried, with Kevin playing the role of counselor and parent more than the people who raised him. They’re shoes which no child should have to step into, and the weight of that responsibility is written all over Efron’s face throughout the film, even as Kevin marries and starts a family of his own.

The entire movie, as well as his performance, is solid throughout. But the final scene, and one line in particular, cements Efron’s spot as one of the top actors of the year. “I used to be a brother, and I’m not anymore,” is one of the most heartbreaking line deliveries of 2023. As a tear streams down his face, he apologizes to his sons for crying. “Men don’t cry,” he explains. His sons, free from the chains of toxic masculinity in which Kevin was raised, explain that they cry all the time, and that it’s ok. With that, the Von Erich “curse” is broken.

Though so far overlooked during awards season, Efron has “underdog win” written all over him. Hollywood loves a comeback, and though he never technically disappeared, some questionable career choices had him dangling dangerously close to simply being known as a “former Disney star.” Thank goodness he dodged that bullet, because we would have missed out on one of the year’s most heartfelt performances.

The Iron Claw is currently playing in theaters.
You can read our review of the film here.