Directed by:
Darren AronofskyScreenplay:
Robert SiegelCinematography:
Maryse AlbertiCast:
Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry, Wass Stevens, Judah Friedlander, Marcia Jean Kurtz, John D'Leo, Ajay Naidu (more)VOD (2)
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Back in the late '80s, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, 20 years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey. Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life - trying to reconnect with his daughter, and strikes up a blossoming romance with an aging stripper (Marisa Tomei). Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy "The Ram" back into his world of wrestling. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (14)
The Wrestler is an unobtrusive indie work. It is simple, clear and clean, and relies on only one thing – Mickey Rourke. Darren Aronofsky is aware that everything else is just Rourke’s surroundings, so he paves the way for him without much interferences or original screenwriting ideas (we’ve seen it all before), comfortably riding on his character’s shoulders. And the whole crew sleeps in Randy’s caravan because no one would give them a normal budget for this. A nice, modest film that could have been excellent as a featurette.
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Reality, dreams, desires, and reality. Darren Aronofsky resigns from the magic of editing or groundbreaking effects and becomes a guide through the world of wrestling matches. And it is a walk without embellishment. He doesn't flinch from anything, doesn't stop for a moment – and yet he partially fails. He relies too much on Mickey Rourke's perfect performance. In his portrayal, Randy is a breathtaking character dependent on his past and struggling with ingrained habits. I admired him, but I didn't breathe for him. The camera practically never leaves him, but I still don't feel the necessary dramatic closeness and take his story as a scripted scenario with the necessary accompanying tools, with three obvious twists and a strong ending. I never expected that I would reproach the director of a film as imbued with emotion, as dramatically perfect, and for me, already immortal The Fountain for taking a cold approach.
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Darren probably couldn’t stand anymore of his wife’s constant teasing that she already has her golden baldie on their mantelpiece. And so he shot that type of movie which is to the critical community what a red cloth is to a bull. Seemingly a merely classic nostalgic and sad “sports" drama, heavily dependent on Rourke’s gala-performance, but he gave it something extra. Something depressing and true. And it’s really, and I mean really, not about wrestling at all. Thank god. I’m actually so allergic to that sport. This could just as well be about boxing, chess, acting or writing reviews for FilmBooster. It would work out the same, this is mainly about looking for your own “place in life".
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Even my third encounter with Darren Aronofsky's work did not end well, although this time it's not so much the director's fault as it is the subject matter, whose setting and characters simply repel me. I consider wrestling to be a degrading form of entertainment, although it is primarily a problem of audience demand for new gladiatorial matches. Moreover, I have no particular love for Mickey Rourke, and with the honorable exception of Angel Heart, none of his films have thrilled me. To top it all off, his protagonist did not seem sympathetic to me in the slightest, and he had only himself to blame for his fate. He chose it and paid the price. His casting, however, fits - given his boxing antics and personality, he is cast perfectly type-wise. The film certainly does not delve into any great depth, it is predictable, and the characters, whether the protagonist or the stripper who, of all people, is also a caring mother and yearns to escape from this rotten environment, have a bit of a kitschy feel. Overall impression: 45%.
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In the end, I liked The Wrestler more than Requiem for a Dream – it affected me more on an emotional level. Whilst Requiem for a Dream is a linear and aestheticized image of doom, the story of Ram Robinson contains several layers. Aronofsky withdrew into the background and opened up the maximum amount of space possible to Mickey Rourke's captivating acting, and to playing with genre expectations. Fortunately, the fear that The Wrestler would end up with the heroic pathos of the main character overcoming himself was not confirmed - quite the contrary. The devastation of the body, the inability to establish emotional relationships and to exist fully outside the space of a painful pretense called wrestling – all of these motifs are based on pure and unadulterated drama. I have nothing negative to say about this brilliantly and cleverly constructed film. Aronofsky is able to feign like a real wrestler, but there is no doubt that the blood and pain are real. Theater sometimes hurts more than reality. The Wrestler is another of the director's drastic portraits of the bottom of American society. For me, this is the most powerful film of the year so far.
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