The WrestlerRated R
Running time: 1 hr 49 mins
Cast:
Mickey Rourke
Marisa Tomei
Evan Rachel Wood
Critical Consensus:
**** out of *****
(98%!!! Fresh Rating!)
Mikey @ The Movies Official Rating:
****1/2 out ******
The Premise:
A drama centered on retired professional wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson as he makes his way through the independent circuit, trying to get back in the game for one final showdown with his former rival.
MY REVIEW
I've never been into the wrestling craze. Before or after people realized it was all fake. I've seen a few films that center around wrestling. 'The Wrestler' is easily the best wrestling movie I've seen. It's actually quite a beautiful and stunning film with terrific performances.
The film follows "The Ram" a very popular wrestler from the 80's who's now living in present day doing gigs on the weekends and living a regular life on the weekdays. He works at a "Costco" type store, lives either in a trailer or sometimes out of his van. He's estranged from his daughter. His only connection to the outside world is a stripper named Cassidy. He's essentially a nobody at this point, and his life basically sucks. He misses the thrill of wrestling for huge crowds. Wrestling is his life, and when he tries to break free from that is when his life goes downhill. He made bad choices. He got into drugs and steroids. His heart begins to fail. He never sees his daughter. He tries to live this outside life, but he always goes back to wrestling. It's as if wrestling is his addiction.
This was a fantastically written story that shows the other side to these old time wrestlers. I loved how they showed us the wrestlers planning how each match would go. They showed us that these wrestlers who hated each other in the ring, were close friends on the outside of the ring. The film never once tries to make us think for a moment that wrestling was real. There's no buildups to any climatic wrestling matches. This story is about this man who's life got ruined because wrestling is his passion. It's a very sad story, almost depressing. This wrestler has broken down, and tries so hard to pick up all the pieces, but he just can't. His life sucks, and it will never be truly happy as long he's outside the ring. It was just a wonderfully written screenplay that showcased the fact that everyone's human. Everyone makes mistakes. Even these big tough guys who you think can never break down. It was so moving watching Randy "The Ram" try to live this life he's created for himself. Trying to reconcile with his daughter, but he just can't manage to do it. Even after all the begging, and the speeches this man is lost. The only thing he can win anymore is a staged fight in a wrestling ring. That's a bit haunting at times, if you ask me. The story does tend to drag on at times, and that's really my only downside. But otherwise, just a brilliant screenplay!
Mickey Rourke really has delivered a tour de force film performance here. He has proven you do not have to be flashy, you don't have to go all out to deliver a remarkable, sincere and unforgettable performance. He plays this deeply scarred character with such bottled up emotion and you can see that in his eyes. The times when he just lets lose and reveals his emotions are some of the most simple but most moving scenes in the film. This was a brilliant performance that could have been to much or over the top, but Rourke played it like an absolute champ. Also great was Oscar winner Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny, In the Bedroom) who could very see herself with a third Oscar nomination with this performance. She plays a stripper, and this is the type of role that has been showcased in years past as being to flashy. A lot of the times these actresses who play strippers really go for a knock out "look at me, I'm a stripper, I'm at my lowest point" performance. But Tomei, like Rourke plays this role with such realism. She humanizes this character. You really feel for her. She never has a big, showy scene but her performance still managed to be quite superb and I applaud her.
The Wrestler is a remarkable and incredibly made film. When it gets wider release you should all go see. Even if you are not a fan of wrestling, this is still a film you should see. It's one of the most simple, realistic and down to earth films you will see this year. Full of characters you can feel something for. A story a lot of people can vaguely relate too. This was a brilliant film.
The film follows "The Ram" a very popular wrestler from the 80's who's now living in present day doing gigs on the weekends and living a regular life on the weekdays. He works at a "Costco" type store, lives either in a trailer or sometimes out of his van. He's estranged from his daughter. His only connection to the outside world is a stripper named Cassidy. He's essentially a nobody at this point, and his life basically sucks. He misses the thrill of wrestling for huge crowds. Wrestling is his life, and when he tries to break free from that is when his life goes downhill. He made bad choices. He got into drugs and steroids. His heart begins to fail. He never sees his daughter. He tries to live this outside life, but he always goes back to wrestling. It's as if wrestling is his addiction.
This was a fantastically written story that shows the other side to these old time wrestlers. I loved how they showed us the wrestlers planning how each match would go. They showed us that these wrestlers who hated each other in the ring, were close friends on the outside of the ring. The film never once tries to make us think for a moment that wrestling was real. There's no buildups to any climatic wrestling matches. This story is about this man who's life got ruined because wrestling is his passion. It's a very sad story, almost depressing. This wrestler has broken down, and tries so hard to pick up all the pieces, but he just can't. His life sucks, and it will never be truly happy as long he's outside the ring. It was just a wonderfully written screenplay that showcased the fact that everyone's human. Everyone makes mistakes. Even these big tough guys who you think can never break down. It was so moving watching Randy "The Ram" try to live this life he's created for himself. Trying to reconcile with his daughter, but he just can't manage to do it. Even after all the begging, and the speeches this man is lost. The only thing he can win anymore is a staged fight in a wrestling ring. That's a bit haunting at times, if you ask me. The story does tend to drag on at times, and that's really my only downside. But otherwise, just a brilliant screenplay!
Mickey Rourke really has delivered a tour de force film performance here. He has proven you do not have to be flashy, you don't have to go all out to deliver a remarkable, sincere and unforgettable performance. He plays this deeply scarred character with such bottled up emotion and you can see that in his eyes. The times when he just lets lose and reveals his emotions are some of the most simple but most moving scenes in the film. This was a brilliant performance that could have been to much or over the top, but Rourke played it like an absolute champ. Also great was Oscar winner Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny, In the Bedroom) who could very see herself with a third Oscar nomination with this performance. She plays a stripper, and this is the type of role that has been showcased in years past as being to flashy. A lot of the times these actresses who play strippers really go for a knock out "look at me, I'm a stripper, I'm at my lowest point" performance. But Tomei, like Rourke plays this role with such realism. She humanizes this character. You really feel for her. She never has a big, showy scene but her performance still managed to be quite superb and I applaud her.
The Wrestler is a remarkable and incredibly made film. When it gets wider release you should all go see. Even if you are not a fan of wrestling, this is still a film you should see. It's one of the most simple, realistic and down to earth films you will see this year. Full of characters you can feel something for. A story a lot of people can vaguely relate too. This was a brilliant film.
To view this film's theatrical trailer, click this link: Wrestler
*This is the 179th new film I've seen and reviewed this year.
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