Could a “Getting Physical” Remake Work in 2021?

Back in 1984, a made-for-TV movie called Getting Physical, starting Alexandra Paul. Paul starred in the film as Kendall Gibley, a woman whose weight was causing her to suffer from self-esteem. She decided to take up self-defense classes to lose wright but ended up getting into female bodybuilding after seeing the women in the gym. She would get into it so much that she ends up facing the pros for the championship. However her boyfriend and her dad aren’t exactly too thrilled with her new look. If you want to view the movie for yourself, click here.

For a made-for-tv movie, I didn’t think it was too bad. It strikes me as something that would fit Lifetime, Freeform, or any channel like that. There were some corny and cheesy parts to it, but that was par for the course when it came to movies back in the 1980s. Also for anyone that followed Paul’s career, it’s hard for her to portray a heavy woman (especially with one of her highlights in her career being on the hit show Baywatch) but she was able to pull it off. 

Speaking of pulling if off...could a Getting Physical remake be done in 2021? Personally, I’d say yes, BUT I would change a few things. One, it doesn’t have to be a heavy-set woman trying to get fit. My spin would be a woman who has a dangerous encounter with a man and wanted to take self-defense classes to protect herself. The premise would remain the same: she sees fit women in the gym and gets the bug and dedices to do physique competitions and works her way to the championship, with her boyfriend and dad not being so approving of her look. Another change would be the category that would be represented. At the time of the original movie, only bodybuilding was there for the women. Now there’s women’s bodybuilding, women’s physique, fitness, figure, bikini, and wellness. If it were up to me, I would choose between figure, bikini, or wellness, as I feel those three would be more acceptable to the mainstream audience. I would look-wise aim for figure with a bodybuilding-like style of flexing to it, to give the audience a show. Obviously the championship would not be the Olympia, as the IFBB owns that name. However, it would be cool to see some IFBB Pros in a remake of Getting Physical as part of not only the championship but also in the gym scenes that influence the main star to give muscle competitions a try. 

There’s a lot more to get into when it comes to a remake but this a general thought on it. With that being said, I’ll leave the floor open to you all: Do YOU think a Getting Physical remake will work in 2021? Do you WANT to see this movie getting a modern remake? Which IFBB Pros (or NPC athletes) would you like to see make an appearance in the movie? Which actress would you like to have Alexandra Paul’s role? We will have a follow-up post soon. You can either comment below, leave us a DM on our social media platforms, or email us at fitgemsnation@gmail.com. Looking forward to everyone’s responses!