How was this a comedy?

It certainly did make me laugh out loud. And no, a movie does not need to make you laugh out loud in order to be considered a comedy. Certainly Stemler's antics were considered comic relief by any standards. Good job Dave.

There were a few minor chuckles, but by and large I'd consider it a drama. When they think Leo is dead when they show up at his house and he pops out of nowhere was probably the funniest scene. Gotta love Burt Young, funny guy.

This is my story. This is the sacrifice my father made. This was his gift to me.

How was the scene where giamattis character has a panic attack in any way homophobic? I didn't grasp that one at all.

And yes, i laughed quite a bit. Watching these guys who were COMPLETELY out of their element try to coach a wrestling team made for some very hilarious stuff. There were a lot of laughs to be had when it comes to the kids and the wrestling. I suppose it may help having wrestled yourself or helped out with your kids/nephews teams.

A lot of the interaction with Giamatti's character and his brother was quite comical.

I did not consider this film to be a comedy. I may have chuckled during the film, but nothing that stands out. I guess the way Burt Young talked was funny. I suppose that means that the "Rocky" movies were also comedies. The movie had an intriguing concept without being too heavy. I wonder if there's an MPAA aspect to being considered a "comedy."

The other thing is that many of the actors had done comedy in their other work. Maybe there's some sort of IMDb algorithm that says that since Jeffrey Tambor was in "Arrested Development" and "The Larry Sanders Show," and Bobby Canavale was in "Will and Grace," yada yada yada, then therefore this film should be classified as a "comedy."

I laughed quite a few times, it was definitely a comedy to me, if not dramedy at least.

"I'm just the ref, I'm just the ref". lol. And him always trying to prove his 'man strength'.

I thought the film was funny and very well done! I'm always amazed at the number of people laughing their heads of in movie theaters when I reluctantly accompany younger family members to major comedy releases. Seems like over written bad scripts and silly sells best, so it's rare when a good one comes along like this!

I laughed out loud when the Star wars kid 'exploded' out and started running around the mat, chased. Just imagining someone doing that in a real wrestling match was too funny.

Agreed. I felt this way when watching 2011's "Friends With Kids" under the comedy section on Netflix, too. Not sure why they categorize this as comedic. Maybe because Giamatti is a likeable guy with inner thoughts like actors/characters in other comedies like "Big Daddy?" Not sure.