Behind the "fake" world of professional wrestling, life is all too real... this is an excellent but monumentally sad film

Rating: 9/10 (4 February 2009)

Randy "Ram" (Mickey Rourke) was a superstar in the world of professional wrestling, where all of the moves are choreographed and blows are "faked". Now, 20 years later, Randy is still at it, but his arenas are a lot smaller. All of the muscle-enhancing drugs, accidental injuries, late hours and the like have taken a heavy toll on the "Ram" and he has a bad ticker. Consequently, Randy appears in two-bit shows and his pay is comparatively low. On the Jersey shore, he lives in a rundown trailer park, where the owner locks him out of his own home if the rent is late. Nevetheless, Ram still tries to keep his long, flowing blonde locks touched up at the beauty salon and he visits the tanning salons, too, to keep that healthy, robust "look". Mostly a loner, Randy is trying to acquire more permanent interpersonal connections. His long-neglected daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) lives nearby and dad is trying to patch things up with her, although she is still harboring a great deal of resentment toward him. In addition, Randy has fallen for a local stripper, Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) who, like him, is getting to old to continue her line of work but who has her eyes on a dream home in a nice Jersey suburb. Cassidy, also, resists his advances, saying continually that she doesn't get involved with "clients". Sad. Now, after a horrific local battle, where Ram is bloodied and stapled, he ends up in the hospital where doctors tell him he MUST leave the wrestling business or he will end up taking a dirt bath. Will he find a new direction in life? This is a terrific film, but so monumentally sad that I cried buckets. As a person who knew nothing of the world of professional wrestling, my eyes were opened to the horrors of a "sport" where fans dictate the dance steps and the wrestlers, despite receiving some fame, brutally abuse their bodies and their minds. As Randy, Rourke is so wonderful that his performance easily towers over almost everyone else's in cinema this year. His tough but touching turn is the stuff of legends. Likewise, Tomei is pretty amazing, too, in her role as a dancing stripper, and not only because she still looks great. Wood and all of the other supporting cast members fulfill their roles nicely, too. The seedy venues, the outrageous costumes and the great camera work present a penetrating look into the world of wrestling and should be lauded as well. As for the script and direction, they are topnotch and illuminating, too. In brief, don't miss The Wrestler, for it shines a harsh light on the "athletes" caught up in the tawdry universe of professional wrestling and, indeed, of the poorer echelons of society. But, be prepared to pass the tissue box around, as they say, when you sit down for a view.