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)
Flawless, but mechanical. It's beautiful to watch and Mickey Rourke is superb, but Aronofsky should be making stories where every twist and turn isn't inevitable and taken from other genre films. The Wrestler kicks the viewer a couple of times, but it doesn't land any hard punches like Warrior, Rocky or even the sentimental Cinderella Man, and that's a shame...
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A devastating and really depressing drama. I think most of us somehow unconsciously realizes that the life of a professional wrestler is no rose garden, but Aronofsky takes this to extremes and allows “The Ram" fall from the top right to the very bottom, and then some. And thanks to the excellent Mickey Rourke this comes across more intensely than is healthy. Man, in some places even I felt a bit bad. So imagine how Randy must have felt?
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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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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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It's a classic and oft-seen story without a hint of anything extra, but Mickey Rourke plays the jaded monster with a sensitive soul well, and Aronofsky's direction offers some really interesting moments - like the ring entrance-style arrival at the deli counter. I can't really say that it's anything special, I almost certainly won't watch The Wrestler a second time, but it's definitely better than Black Swan, for example, and in fact, in my opinion, it's the second Aronofsky film after The Fountain where I didn't get bored. I'm rounding up two and a half stars for Bruce Springsteen's final song, which was released a year later on his album Working on a Dream and which says in four minutes what the film needed almost two hours to say.
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