Grimy comeback for a fallen idol.

Rating: 8/10 (23 February 2009)

This film offers unflinching, bare-bones, answers to the puzzle of what happens when a person's fifteen minutes of fame are over. In this instance the person in question is "Randy the Ram" (Mickey Rourke) a former wrestling powerhouse back in the Eighties who now ekes out a living on the VFW-hall circuit when he isn't unloading trucks at a grocery store. Randy lives in an America rarely seen on celluloid these days- a nation of trailer parks, strip malls, dollar stores, and grimy community halls.
At first glance he appears scarily close to dereliction: his body is breaking down, he can't pay his rent, but when Randy is in the ring he once again becomes a star. However, it becomes clear that even his wrestling days are numbered and Randy -fearful of what the future holds- attempts to reach out to the daughter he abandoned many years earlier (a wonderful Evan Rachel Wood) and also start a relationship with a guarded exotic dancer who is also nearing the end of her shelf-life (the fantastic Marisa Tomei).
At it's core, "The Wrestler" is a depiction of how people try to cling on to hope, dignity, safety, and a sense of connection to others in a world that appears hell-bent on stripping all those things away. The characters portrayed by Rourke and Tomei could so easily be reduced the stereotypes, or even worse played for laughs. Instead both are allowed to be complex, vulnerable and very real human beings that the audience can't help but care for. All of the cast are outstanding but Rourke's performance is truly seismic in it's depth and honesty. His wrestler is a fundamentally gentle, flawed, principled man who is only too aware of his many failings and shortcomings and wishes only that others see the good in him.
At times this can be a hard film to watch. The wrestling scenes skillfully arc between gratuitous brutality and dark humor. Director Darren Aronofsky allows the simple-yet-complicated story unfold at it's own pace. There are no simple answers. The pacing is low-key and the atmosphere is grimy. However the way in which the characters show compassion and allow themselves to falteringly care for one another gives this gem a big, beautiful, tear-stained heart.