Wrestling legend Kevin Von Erich is praising the way Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White portray him and his famous brother in a new movie about their life ... but he says there is no way they would make it in a real ring.
Kevin, the subject of "The Iron Claw," tells TMZ ... Zac, Jeremy and Harris Dickinson did a great job bringing him and his brothers Kerry and David Von Erich to life ... though the actors are way too small to cut it as pro wrestlers.
Don't get it twisted, Kevin's not hating here ... he's just keeping it real.
In fact, Kevin has nothing but love for 'Iron Claw,' which tells the story of his famous wrestling family.
Kevin says the film does a pretty good job boiling down so many stories into a 2-hour movie ... and it's pretty much historically accurate, at least by Hollywood standards.
One thing Kevin says 'Iron Claw' took some liberties with is his relationship with his father ... pro wrestler Fritz Von Erich. Kevin says his pops never wanted him to get into wrestling, unlike the way it's portrayed in the flick.
Kevin also understands why the director left his brother Chris Von Erich out of the movie ... and he wants folks to know he never would have risen to such heights without Christianity ... something the movie omits.
But hey, it's Hollywood ... and Kevin knows the name of the game.
Overall, it sounds like Kevin's pretty pleased with the final project ... but he says don't let the camera fool you, Zac and Jeremy aren't that big.