The Wrestler (2008)

• Year: 2008
• Released: 30 Jan 2009
• Country: United States, France
• Adwords: Nominated for 2 Oscars. 58 wins & 93 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125849/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/The_Wrestler
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-wrestler
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Drama, Sport
• Runtime: 109 min
• Writer: Robert Siegel
• Director: Darren Aronofsky
• Cast: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
• Keywords: sports, daughter, stripper, wrestling, new jersey,

	7.9/10
	80/100
	98% – Critics
	88% – Audience

The Wrestler Storyline

Robin Ramzinski, better known by his stage name Randy “The Ram” Robinson, is an aging wrestler who achieved fame in the 80s. Twenty years later, Randy is now a has-been, barely getting by with wrestling gigs over the weekend while working part-time at a local grocery store during weekdays. Fortunately, Randy is given the chance for redemption after agreeing to a 20th anniversary rematch against one of his most well-known opponents, the Ayatollah. However, Randy is forced to retire after suffering from a heart attack. With his career over, Randy is forced to start anew. He attempts to start a relationship with a stripper named Cassidy whom he has feelings for, but his advances are constantly turned down. Randy also tries to reconcile with his daughter Stephanie whom he abandoned at a young age, but she rejects him because of what she sees as his shortcomings as a father. Struggling to adjust to a new life, can Randy cope with retirement, or will he risk all and go back into wrestling?

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The Wrestler Movie Reviews

One of the best films of 2008

Enough has been written already about Mickey Rourke’s real-life parallels with his fictional character in The Wrestler. Yes, it makes the story seem even realer, and is perhaps what attracted Rourke to the project. (Or perhaps not — perhaps, instead, it is what attracted Darren Aronofsky to the actor.) But to focus on such surface similarities seems like an undermining of his work here. Rourke may not be as out-of-his-comfort-zone as Sean Penn in Milk, the only other Oscar-worthy lead performance this year, but that is merely a testament to his fundamental understanding of his character: Randy is an understated guy with big scars, both literally and figuratively. He’s been wrestling for years — now reduced to borderline tribute shows in front of dwindling crowds, scrounging up barely enough cash to buy the variety of drugs and steroids he needs to maintain his weight. He lives in a trailer park and gets locked out for not being able to keep up rent. He works part-time at a grocery store and visits strip clubs regularly, because it’s the only place where he seemingly has any meaningful connections with another human being — namely the dancer Cassidy (played by Marisa Tomei), who is similarly a bit older than most peers in her “profession,” yet doesn’t really know any other way to live.

The Wrestler draws immediate comparison to the classics of working class cinema, including Rocky and On the Waterfront. Sylvester Stallone returned to his iconic character two years to bring resolution to the life of Rocky Balboa, the Philly boxer who got back in the ring for one final match . It was a good film and touched on similar themes — a nice guy stuck in a mean world, an estranged child– and ultimately both films present us with the dilemma these men find themselves in: too old to continue doing what they know best, and too old to learn how to do anything else.

Whereas Rocky Balboa was a trip down memory lane, it was hardly as bleak or frank as The Wrestler, which is a vastly superior film. Darren Aronofsky has established himself with this picture as one of the most important of modern American filmmakers; to acknowledge that this work is from the same man who directed The Fountain is astonishing, because they couldn’t be farther apart on a sylistic level. The Wrestler is grainy, low-key and rough. It isn’t polished, fantastical or elaborate. And that suits the material perfectly. The fact that Aronofsky was willing to almost entirely reinvent his approach for the benefit of the story is more than admirable. He deserves a nomination.

Tomei is wonderful in her supporting role, fleshing out her character (again, both literally and figuratively) with greater competence than most actresses would probably be able to manage, because it’s a fairly obvious role — the “stripper with a heart of gold” who is the object of desire for the gruff guy with a tortured soul. Yet she manages to strike a balance in the film as one of two female roles, the other belonging to Evan Rachel Wood as Randy’s emotionally severed daughter.

The Wrestler is impressive for all its smaller parts as well as the larger ones. When Randy goes to visit his daughter, the reaction is fleeting; it’s not overly dramatic and revelatory, like most films of this nature often create such scenes to be. We can tell by her reaction that it’s not the first time Randy has attempted to reconcile with her, as she seems unfazed by his appearance on her doorstep. It is in this fashion that the film jumps through all the mandatory hoops of its genre (think, of all things, The Royal Tenenbaums), yet still manages to seem fresh and realistic.

And then there’s Rourke. As aforementioned, he deserves the Oscar nom he’s likely to receive. And he should probably win. This is one of the best performances of the decade, perhaps even of all time, if we really want to get down to it. It’s the best work of his career, at once the most fully developed of his characters and the most imperfect. Randy isn’t airbrushed to make him seem more appealing to the audience; Aronofsky and Rourke exploit his faults and present him as a normal man, tempted by vices and haunted by his past. Yet we recognize that the drugs, the empty sex and the generally self-destructive behavior Randy partakes in is rooted in the same emotional enguish that the actor himself seems to carry with him; Aronofsky spotted this quality in Rourke, and he fought the producers for Rourke over their first choice (Nicolas Cage), and his dedication paid off — you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more convincing, moving or memorable lead performance this year.

Ultimately, The Wrestler is one of the year’s very best films — a character study that is at once timeless and powerful. And it’s helmed by a director who has managed to bounce back from an aesthetically pleasing but shallow art-house film to produce one of the great works of American cinema in the 21st century.

The role Mickey Rourke was born to play

“The Wrestler” is a beautiful movie, but it wouldn’t be half as good if Mickey Rourke hadn’t given the main character a face and a heart. There’s virtually no other Hollywood actor that could have embodied Randy “The Ram” Robinson as perfectly as Rourke, and it’s shocking to think how the movie could have turned out had someone else, say Bruce Willis or – as originally planned – Nicolas Cage played the part. With Rourke it’s not so much an actor memorizing lines and delivering them convincingly, it’s like watching a guy having gone through hell and now showing his scars. Rourke’s performance even lets one overlook some rather clichéd elements in the story (the exotic dancer with a golden heart, the neglected daughter, a dance in a romantic dilapidated ballroom). It’s all good, because one look at Randy’s face reminds us of all the hits and punches he must have taken in the past, and it all becomes real again.

So, Rourke obviously makes the movie, but that’s not the only remarkable thing. Besides a very good performance by the beautiful Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler” is also worth mentioning because it marks the first time Darren Aronofsky has made a straight forward drama that’s not heavy headed or laden with too much symbolism. After the highly pretentious “The Fountain” such a movie was more than due. “The Wrestler” proves that Aronofsky is not only capable of stylistic extravaganza, but can also handle the art of “plain” storytelling.

The fine title song by Bruce Springsteen must not be forgotten, either. After “Streets Of Philadelphia” and “Dead Man Walking” this is his third soundtrack contribution that captures the feel of a movie beautifully. Props to Aronofsky for putting an emphasis on that song by letting it play over a black screen for a couple of seconds before the closing credits start to roll.

In the end, “The Wrestler” is such a huge success because Aronofsky made the right choice by insisting on Rourke to play the main role, and because Rourke more than lived up to the director’s expectations. Sean Penn may have been very good in “Milk”, but the character of The Wrestler is a thousand times more interesting and memorable, and considering that fact that Rourke will forever be remembered for this great performance, he would really have deserved the Oscar.

Painful to watch…

This film is, at times, very painful to watch. The wrestling scenes are brutally violent and bloody–with some of the action real and hard to see. Reportedly, the staples and several other body-scarring scenes were real! You can’t say that Mickey Rourke wasn’t willing to suffer for his art! Plus, when you see the post-match Rourke barely able to move or function, it’s hard to watch–and you want to avert your eyes. It’s definitely a no holds barred sort of movie.

Rourke plays an aging wrestler who has gained some fame but also is working in the second-tier of the profession. In other words, the job is violent but doesn’t even pay well–and plays in lesser venues. You get the impression that he was a big-name star at one point, but by now time has taken its toll and he’s seen better days. His body is covered in scars, he’s reduced to needing a hearing aid and he has just suffered a heart attack. Now that his career is about over, he is looking to make a few changes–to get a real job and try to reacquaint himself with his estranged daughter. It’s interesting because although the violence is very hard to watch, seeing him try to make a new life is often more painful and the film pulls no punches in this warts and all treatment. As his character says “I’m just an old broken down piece of meat…all alone…and I deserve to be alone…”. This sort of tough dialog, very good acting and an unrelenting script make this one a memorable film….but such a painful one that many might want to think twice about watching.

By the way, in addition to being a very bloody and violent film, there is quite a bit of nudity. I was surprised to see Marisa Tomei doing all the nude scenes–usually with an Oscar-winning actress they do not do such work. For a woman in her mid-40s, she sure had nothing to be ashamed of when it came to her figure–but just be forewarned that you’ll see a lot of her.