Fans of "Professional" wrestling have their moment...the movie is glorious for them!!

Rating: 8/10 (26 January 2009)

When I was a kid I was enchanted with the stars of World Wrestling like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, and Ultimate Warrior but Professional Wrestling has changed nowadays but is still a huge empire and has legions of fans. What no one would expect is a completely serious dramatic, powerful film, respecting and paying homage to the craft, and the people involved and the fans but that is exactly what Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler does. Now I won't go into full agreement with the raving fans and critics of the film that are talking about what a moving and incredible film it is. While the film is good and entertaining and does certainly have some emotion I wouldn't call it one of the best movies of this year or last for that matter. I'm not sure it even deserves all the award nominations that it is getting. All this being said you can be completely entertained and fans of the Wrestling world will be floored by how this movie portrays their past time which I think has always been considered a joke but this could change everything. Part of this is the story, and the way it is directed, and an even bigger part is the performance by Mickey Rourke.
Mickey Rourke plays aging wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Of course everyone knows now that this apparently Rourke's rise from the ashes...never knew he was out of the ashes to begin with. Still his performance as alcoholic, washed up, emotionally disturbed wrestler who is clinging on to his youth and the fame he experienced. Rourke looks absolutely amazing for the role. He looks exactly like his character should and you would expect. He literally embodies the washed up wrestler. He is the perfect combination of what you would expect. I'm still not sure he deserves quite the accolades he is receiving but it is a great performance. Now I'm going to get harsh. The accolades and nominations for Marisa Tomei are ludicrous. Her performance as stripper and love interest Cassidy is barely bordering a joke. She spends more time naked than she does acting so I suppose if you're a fan of Marisa Tomei's body then The Wrestler will really impress you, but her actual acting ability in the film is barely existent. I will say that her chemistry with Rourke is pretty good so that does help. If she is his Adrienne (Rocky) then we are in trouble. If you're looking for a worthy female performance look to Evan Rachel Wood who plays Rourke's estranged daughter and does a much better performance. Their relationship is volatile and intense giving her the opportunity to show off some real emotion.
I am not all that familiar with Darren Aronofsky's direction style but this still seemed like a different style for him. There was just something very real and heartfelt about the whole overtone of the film. This could really break him into dramatic films and telling a very emotional passionate story and bringing characters to life. It is certainly a far cry from his previous work on The Fountain. The world of Professional Wrestling has a lot of fans under eighteen and this film certainly isn't for them. I think the audience it aims for are the ones who fondly remember the over the top wrestling heroes of yesteryear but regardless a solid drama is hard to come by and Rourke makes his character very watchable and very entertaining. I still stand by my feelings that it doesn't deserve film making awards but it certainly won't disappoint the movie fan. Worth seeing!! 8/10