The Wrestler

Rating:  

Directed By: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

Plot Synopsis:

Back in the late ’80s, Randy “The Ram Robinson” (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey.

Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life — trying to reconnect with his daughter, and strikes up a blossoming romance with an aging stripper (Marisa Tomei). Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy “The Ram” back into his world of wrestling.

Director Darren Aronofsky presents a powerful portrait of a battered dreamer, who despite himself and the odds stacked against him, lives to be a hero once again in the only place he considers home ­ inside the ring. [TrailerAddict]

Review:

5 or 10 years from now, when we think back to the movies of 2008, not many will be remembered.  Sure, Sean Penn won an Oscar for his performance in Milk.  Kate Winslet got naked and sexed up a minor in the Holocaust film, The Reader.  Let’s face it, the “Oscar Bait” films got their best actor/actress awards.  But when you think back, what will be the iconic images you’ll remember? Probably Heath Ledger’s Joker.  Maybe Robert Downey Jr.’s rise back to the top.  One thing is certain: Mickey Rourke’s captivating performance, combined with the heart wrenching story of The Wrestler, is destined to be one of the most iconic performances of 2008, and maybe even the past decade.

Darren Aronofsky is one of my favorite directors.  Similar to Danny Boyle, Darren Aronofsky transcends genres and delivers quality films time after time.  The Wrestler is only Darren Aronofsky’s 4th feature length film.  With each film Aronofsky has given us something fresh.  First with his strange Math psycological thriller, Pi.  Next with the beautifully depressing Requiem For a Dream.  Then Aronofsky split audiences and critics alike with The Fountain (one of my favorite films of all time).  With The Wrestler, Aronofsky has found the right balance of artistic integrity and story.  No matter who I talk to, or what review I read, The Wrestler is probably his best recieved film, and well deserving of all the recognition and awards.

Mickey Rourke.  There is so much to be said about the parallel’s between his character, Randy “The Ram” Robinson, and his real life persona.  Both have fallen from the top.  Both have been scarred physically and emotionally.  Micky Rourke will never be as good as he is here.  Mainly because of his emotional connection and the honesty on display here.  I don’t follow wrestling, I don’t know anyone like Randy “The Ram.” But, I connected with Rourke on such a personal level throughout The Wrestler.  His struggle, pain, insecurities are all on display.  It’s beautiful and heart breaking at the same time.  This was an Oscar worthy performance, and it’s one of the few times I’ve felt someone was robbed from the Best Actor award.

Another surprise comes with Marisa Tomei.  She plays a stripper friend and possible love interest here, and she throws herself into the character with abandon.  The fact that most of her scenes involve nudity or partial nudity doesn’t seem to bother her here.  It’s a brave performance that is essential to the story, not for exploitation purposes.  There is a scene where she’s dancing on stage, but we’re not drawn into the fact that she’s nude.  Our focus goes straight to her face and eyes as we see the loneliness, pain and weariness of getting older in a business that only rewards youth.  That scene shows how great of an actor Marisa Tomei is and she should have been up for more awards than she was.

Speaking of nudity.  What I admire about Darren Aronofsky is that when he shows nudity or sex in a movie, there’s a purpose.  He’s not showing it for cheap thrills.  The camera is just following the characters in these scenes and no matter what is captured, Aronofsky makes no apologies.  Every frame in The Wrestler has a sense of truth and honesty to it, and I applaud Darren Aronofsky for showing things as they really are.  Many film makers either go too far and exploit nudity and sex, or they shy away from showing too much and miss an opportunity to raise the level of impact a story may have.

The story, penned by Robert D. Siegel (who’s only prior credits are The Onion Movie), is a simple character study.  There’s not a “point A to point B” structure here.  We’re experiencing things in Randy’s life at a certain point in time and are asked just to follow along.  It’s genious is in it’s simplicity.  There are no twists, no turns.  We’re along for the ride because we’re involved with the characters (mainly Rourke and Marisa Tomei) and want to see where they will end up.  With everything that works character-wise, I do have a minor problem.  The scenes with Randy’s daughter aren’t as fleshed out as they could have been.  For the most part it works, but I feel there could have been a bigger emotional payoff than what we’re given.  Evan Rachel Wood does a nice job as Stephanie (Randy’s astranged daughter) but I feel that her scenes were under written, or maybe cut a bit.

As a whole, The Wrestler is near perfection.  Easily one of the best movies I’ve seen in the past 10 years.  I know the years will be kind to this film and like all of Darren Aronofsky’s movies, it has impacted my life.  This will go down as Mickey Rourke’s best and most important film, breathing new life into his career.  Entertaining and thought provoking, The Wrestler is not to be missed.

Rated R for violence, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use.