Review of The Wrestler (2008) by Sari P — 06 Oct 2011

Not only is this a phenomenal film but as a wrestling fan it's a film that speaks to me on a very personal level. Unlike almost any other sport, Wrestlers rely on the crowd that they entertain to keep them alive, so much so that many of them stay way past their prime just to keep the dream alive.

This film accurately and beautifully captures just what these guys put themselves through on a daily basis just for the fans even when the world around them doesn't respect them and even looks at them as a joke.

That alone makes this movie amazing to me but it's also fantastic on an emotional level. Mickey Rourke gives a once in a life time performance in this movie. Almost mirroring Mickey's acting career, you can tell that he related to Randy on a personal level and that clearly helped him give every ounce of himself to the role.

He was an old broken down, lonely shell of a man because of the business that he loved and he was so far out of touch with the outside world for so long that it was virtually impossible for him to rekindle or establish any sort of healthy human relationships anymore.

But even when he knew that he still tried and it was that quality that made you really want to see this guy succeed. Marissa Tomei was a perfect co-star to Rourke as Cassidy, a stripper who was past her prime as well, searching a way out of her own loneliness that ends up spending alot of time with Randy.

Whenever these two sad characters were on screen together you could tell that they took comfort in each others company as they seemed to be the only people in the world who actually gave a damn about each other on a personal level, but knew deep down that it was probably too late for either one of them to find true happiness even in each other.

Evan Rachel Wood was also outstanding as Randy's estranged daughter who in the little screen time she was given was nothing but pure raw emotion. In the few scenes she was in we saw an impressive range of emotions for a character that didn't really have time to be fully developed and when it came to he last scene in the movie I was honestly saddened to see her go.

Lastly but certainly not least, I have to give it to Darren Aronofsky, the mastermind behind this masterpiece. Aronofsky chose to present this movie as if it were a documentary and because of that certain scenes were so uncomfortably intimate that I felt like I was invading someone's privacy.

It's gritty, low-fi and modest and that low budget shooting style just helps enhance the overall feel of the movie. Also you can tell that either Aronofsky is a wrestling fan or did his homework because all of the wrestlers and events in this movie are things that no casual fan would know of.

I never thought I'd see Combat Zone Wrestling or Ring Of Honor presented to a mainstream audience like that and as a wrestling fan it makes me so happy and grateful that Aronofsky made that choice.

To me this is one of the few flawless movies that I've ever seen and I have no doubt that it'll be referred to as a classic in years to come.