This movie is great even if you don't like professional wrestling

Rating: 9/10 (25 January 2009)

I had heard a lot of hype surrounding this movie, and as a lifelong wrestling fan I was hoping this would portray professional wrestling in a positive light. While it did showcase the best about professional wrestling, it also helped expose the seedy underworld of the sport as well: Sex, drugs and steroids. While the tone of the film itself is dark and moody (what did you expect from the director of Requiem For a Dream), one cannot help but root for Randy "The Ram" Robinson to clean himself up and do the right thing. The Ram is played brilliantly by Mickey Roarke and he certainly deserves every single accolade that is tossed his way. As with any great actor, you forget that it is an actor and you truly believe that Rourke IS The Ram! With strong supporting jobs by fellow Oscar nominee Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachael Wood, The Wrestler in my opinion was the best film of 2008. Even if you are not a professional wrestling fan, this film draws you in from the very beginning as it is more a melancholy portrait of the life of a broken down man who searches for redemption, only to find that sometimes redemption is not something that can be found in the form of family or friends, but more so in the ability to bring happiness to the lives of total strangers. A very strong 9/10. Worth watching in the theater and owning on DVD or Blu-ray.