The Wrestler (2008)

3.5

DRAMA
U.S. Release Date: 12/27/08 (Limited)
Running Length: 115 Minutes
MPAA Classification: R (Violence, Profanity, Nudity, Sexual Situations)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Screenplay: Robert D. Siegel
Cinematography: Maryse Alberti
Music: Clint Mansell
U.S. Distributor: Fox Searchlight

Review by: Carter Moulton

12/29/08

To fully appreciate everything The Wrestler has to offer, you have to look back at Mickey Rourke’s career. From the late ‘60s through the ‘70s, Rourke mainly focused on his amateur boxing career. The '80s saw him enter the acting arena with hits like Barfly, 9 1/2 Weeks and Angel Heart, but he made some poor career-decisions and ultimately fell out of the spotlight.

Circa 1991, Rourke, having taken knockout blows from critics and fans alike, re-entered boxing as a professional. It’s during this period that he suffered numerous battering injuries—most of them to the face. He’s been in films since (notably Domino and Sin City), but hasn’t really solidified himself as an actor. Until now. The Wrestler is as advertised: Mickey Rourke’s sparkling achievement. His cratered face helps sell the character of Robin—Randy “The Ram” Robinson—Ramzinski, but its Rourke’s heart that makes The Wrestler a success.

“The Ram” was a big deal in the ‘80’s. Action figures, Nintendo games, and autographs all came with the territory. But now, with his heart failing and his financial situation a mess, Robin wants companionship more than anything. He seeks to find it with his long-lost daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) and his friend Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), a stripper at a local club.

Photo © Fox Searchlight

Tomei is great for the role of Cassidy because, lets face it, her career has been a rollercoaster as well. It’s been over 15 years since she’s won an Oscar for My Cousin Vinny, and The Wrestler serves as a sub-comeback for her. She’s exposed herself in other films before—see Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead—but here her role has enough depth to merit a spin-off movie: The Stripper. Both wrestling and stripping serve as frowned upon professions, but, coupled with Rourke’s enchanting performance, it’s impossible not to cheer for them.

Struggling to pay the rent, Ramzinski gets a job at a grocery store deli-counter. In a simple but commanding series of scenes, Randy starts his first shift in silence, rarely making conversation with anyone, but after a few customers he is telling jokes and throwing egg salad around. It’s just Rourke being Rourke, and knowing his personal struggle immediately draws us in. Without this struggle, The Wrestler may very well have been a different picture.

Director Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream) takes a backseat with this movie, usually lumbering behind Rourke’s scraggly locks of hair with his camera. It’s a pleasing change considering Aronofsky’s usually prominent presence. Robert D. Siegel’s screenplay is well written but cliché. Thankfully, Aronofsky downplays all clichés by taking time to submerge Randy deep within his anxiety of loneliness—either by way of darkness or silence.

Randy is broken down—physically and emotionally—by the end of the film. Despite the doctor’s orders, he decides to wrestle again. That’s where he feels wanted. That’s where he feels at home. The ending leaves some storylines open, but it’s an ending with all the sensation and grace that a film like this deserves. Although wrestling isn’t everyone’s favorite pastime, it’s impossible to distance yourself from Randy’s story. It’ll be interesting to see if Rourke shoots himself in the foot with his next move, but right now that doesn’t matter. His work in The Wrestler is an astounding memorial that represents perseverance and second-chances.