Simple, Brilliant, and Effective

Rating: 10/10 (15 December 2008)

Randy 'The Ram' Robinson, played by Mickey Rourke, is an aging professional wrestler holding onto his last thread of fame and worthiness in the bottom ranks of the sport. His struggles however can be translated to most anyone who has passed their prime and can't quite let go. For Randy the only thing left in his life where he feels any sense of pride and meaning is in the ring.
The Ram was a superstar in the wrestling world 20 years ago. He performed in arenas for the championship belt of a top wrestling organization and when the film begins he is in an elementary school classroom recovering from a match. He is right back at the beginning only without the tools of his youth to build back up the ranks. He lives in a trailer and can't afford the rent, hasn't seen his daughter in years, and finds comfort in a stripper named Cassidy, played by Marissa Tomei. He makes money by working in a super market and wrestling small time local matches on weekends. Mickey Rourke is incredibly believable and genuine in his performance. He makes you care for this man when you probably shouldn't. Randy is a weak man who constantly crawls back to the only thing that has never let him down. When things get tough in the real world, Randy can always go to the ring where is still wanted, even if by a few fans who get a nostalgic kick out of seeing the old man take a fall. Rourke has innocence about him. I want to believe him and I want to believe that he has no other choice but is that necessarily true. Wrestling is the only thing he has known and it's living without the thrill of the match and the roar of the crowd that would be the real struggle in his life. That's the brilliance of the character and the performance.
Cassidy the stripper mirrors Randy in many ways. She is also passed her prime and battles through demeaning comments of young customers for a few bucks in tips. Like Randy, her best days were in the 80's when metal bands ruled and her body was in top form. She is shown entering her stage at the strip club in the same way Randy enters the ring. They are shot from behind as they stand behind a curtain and emerge as a character with their 80's rock music blasting.
Darren Aronofsky brilliantly strips down the flashy camera moves and powerful scores of his other films and simply shows this portion of this mans life. The power of the film is its simplicity. So much of what is said is not explicitly told by the filmmakers but subtly and effectively learned throughout the film. Aronofsky directs with an obvious confidence in the performances and the script. It's hard to articulate the strengths of the film without giving too much away about key scenes so I will leave it at this. The story of Randy 'The Ram' Robinson could be that of anyone in the wrestling business, or the professional sports business for that matter. It translates to the story of a stripper and even an aging actor. "The Wrestler" is one of the most effective films of the year because wrestling fan or not you can relate to these characters and genuinely feel for them.