Touching, Heartfelt, genuine.

Rating: 8/10 (5 January 2015)

Micky Rourke gives the performance of a lifetime. His acting is so perfect in this role, playing a figurative lovable old three-legged bulldog. His performance is so genuine, and filled with so much heart. He and Marisa Tomei both convincingly convey those down-to-earth, likable, hard-living old souls.
This movie gripped me from beginning to end, wanting to see what would happen next. That can be a challenge for a movie like this, which is on the surface kind of drab and sort-of has the feel of a budget documentary. The movie gets into your heart and makes you feel genuine sympathy for the protagonist and other characters.
But In hindsight, the movie suffers from a few over-used clichés. The movie does not have much of a plot, it mostly him trying to win the approval of the pretty women in his life. The movie outright ignores the value of male brotherly friendships, the setup is a bit trite and shallow. A guy like Randy, shouldn't he have more friends, more connections? It doesn't quite make sense for him to be alone. But that did not even occur to me until the movie was over, and I was done crying... What really carries the movie is Mickey Rourke and his superb performance.
This movie reminds me of Black Swan, there is a theme about glorifying and appreciating the struggles and sacrifices that athletes make in order to make it in their respective professions.