The Wrestler

written by: Robert D. Siegel

directed by: Darren Aronofsky



River Oaks finally got the movie and was showing it AFTER Mickey Rourke won the Golden Globe for best actor. SOOO I went to go see it. Wrote a review about it. Like to hear it? Here it goes.



Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was the shit in the late 80s. Anyone who knew anything about wrestling knew the name. Cut to 20 years later in a seedy wrestling arena in Jersey, we see an older, less brilliant "The Ram" geering up for a match. He makes a few bucks, goes home to his trailer, which he is locked out of for back due rent, then heads to a strip club to see Cassidy (Marissa Tomei). Cassidy is much older than the rest of the girls, but Randy is an old favorite of hers so she does a little dance and has a little convo with him before he goes back home.



The Ram's life aint an easy one. The amatuer boxing racket is not a lucrative career. Despite the coreography of wrestling, there are some real injuries involved. Every once in a while you get to do an autograph signing, but being famous 20 years ago doesn't draw in many fans. After one brutal match Randy is hospitalized and has to find an alternative to wrestling to support himself. Cassidy suggest that he make amends with his daughter, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) so he doesn't have to be alone while he tries to recover.

Ok by the time I got to see the movie I really was thinking it was going to be the best thing ever. I like Aronofsky's stuff (see: Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) and everyone else was ga ga about the movie. It doesn't live up to the hype per se, but its still a damn good movie.

Aronofsky gives the movie a real documentary feel. A lot of the film is shot behind The Ram, giving the viewer his point of view. The first 30 minutes or so are a little slow and you're worried the whole movie is going to be like that, but it gets a lot better.

Evan Rachel Wood gives a good performance even though I think the whole father-daughter aspect should have been expounded on a little more. You know that he wasn't there when she was little, and they rarely speak and she can't stand him, but I could have used more background.

For a little while I didn't know why Marisa Tomei's Cassidy couldn't get a dance in the club. She was pretty hot, but then again, she was at least 40 (Tomei is really 45 and looks GREAT) surrounded in a club full of young men and working with women in their 20s. She struggles with keeping the relationship with Randy on a strictly professional level, but you can tell she wants a compainion and out of that she's living. I'm pretty surprised she hasn't gotten any nods coming her way.

And on to the star. Mickey Rourke really did deserve the globe for his role. He wasn't reading a script, he wasn't acting. He WAS Randy "The Ram". A complicated guy who tries hard not to screw up, and can't handle the lonliness when he does, and is at heart a wrestler. That's all he knows. All he's good at. You can feel the frustration and the need to want to do better. You feel it! (see: the greatly done "Deli" scene) The movie wouldnt have been nearly as good if anyone else had been cast as Randy. It's a basic story and it would have been hard to feel so much for The Ram if someone else had half assed the role.

It has a totally open ended ending that works. For me anyway.

All in all it was a good movie. At least check it out for the performances that deserve as much hype as they have been getting.