STUDIO — Fox Searchlight
CAST — Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
DIRECTOR — Darren Aronofsky
MPAA Rating: R
I entered this movie not as a wrestling fan (which I am not), but as a fan of movies about men struggling to find themselves. Also, I have been a longtime fan of Mickey Rourke (I first caught him in The Pope of Greenwich Village, back in the 1980s). During the 1990s, he more or less fell off the radar, only to return in 2005’s Sin City. From there, he reached a well-deserved, long-overdue critical (and popular) acclaim in The Wrestler. In this movie, Rourke plays Randy “The Ram” Robinson, professional wrestler and self-described “broken down piece of meat.”
Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) prepares to make his signature move.
In the credits, we view The Ram’s past glory, through ticket stubs, flyers, magazine covers and newspaper clippings, all from the 1980s. Then we lurch forward 20 years later to see him still stepping into the ring every week to do what he loves to do. Make no mistake, this is not the WWE we’re talking about; this is a small-time circuit, where the fights are uglier (even though still choreographed), the blood is real, and the pay is lousy. So, to make ends meet, he works for a local grocery store. Along the way, he befriends a local stripper (Marisa Tomei) and tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood).
It is not often when I say this, but Mickey Rourke was born to make this movie. He plays Randy The Ram as an inwardly tortured soul who knows he has screwed up in his life, and the scars he wears from his years in the ring are symbolic of the pain within him. He loves what he does every weekend, but in the real world things just don’t go over well. The most noteworthy example is when he manages to reach out to his daughter, only to drop the ball later on.
The Wrestler was wonderfully-acted, the script was well-written, and director Darren Aronofsky made what I consider a must-see movie. I recommend it as a must-add to your Queue.
I loved this movie. And will never watch it again. I sobbed through the whole thing. It reminded me so much of the man with whom I had my son. So emotional for me.