The Wrestler

A tender, sad and brutally honest movie about a sports star during his later years, making ends meat, tying up loose ends and trying to find meaning in his washed up life! Mickey Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson, an 80’s wrestler who is past his prime, but continues to stick around in the wrestling world because he knows nothing else! After some health problems are brought to his attention, Randy tries to get to know his daughter, start a relationship with an aging stripper and work menial jobs to stay afloat while staying away from the ring. The Wrestler is a movie that is absolutely breathtaking to watch, especially if you are as big a movie fan as I am, or just enjoy a well made character driven film. Aronofsky takes a story about a washed up wrestler and turns it into a remarkably tender, sad and genuine film about a part of life many go through, but few get to see get played out with such care and attention to detail. The wrestling scenes, for how silly the sport seems now, are odd but interesting, and never ridiculed. The characters all have their flaws and issues, but feel real and authentic. The setting, a cloudy, dark New Jersey, seems fairly gloomy and incredibly plain, but fits the washed up wrestler’s life perfectly. All the elements come together and work, and even though the story is nothing special (essentially following everything this guy does, through ups and downs), the time spent on the details, the painfully brutal wrestling scenes, the facial expressions, attempts at love and attention, and Randy's relentless desire for the ring, make this an addictive journey about a loser you can’t help but root for!

Rourke absolutely deserves his nomination for an Oscar, as he embodies this washed up, beaten up and battered man with grace and raw emotion. Watching Rourke play “The Ram” felt authentic in and out of the ring, showing brute force and grace inside, with a sad and hopeless demeanor outside. Tomei also comes through as the aging stripper, with the moves and curves inside the club to make anyone a believer, while Wood as the daughter comes through and is also effective, as she brings enough emotion and anger to her scenes to really get a sense of the troubles their father/daughter relationship has seen in the past. Combine the skilled directing and strong performances with a few wonderfully shot scenes, gritty camera work and a strong score, and you have a very powerful, unforgettable well made film.

The film is a fairly predictable one, so if I had to pick an issue I had with The Wrestler, it would be that, however I still found myself so engaged in this man’s life, ranging from his issues with money to his fear of being alone, that I still was just as moved when all was said and done. The Wrestler is a great film, and one that is brought to a higher level because of Aronofsky and Rourke. This is a portrait of a man’s life that is touching, sad and definitely worth your time.