A fantastic, heartbreaking movie

Rating: 9/10 (13 January 2009)

Every once and a while a movie comes around that reminds me why I love movies so much. The Wrestler is one of those movies for me. In my opinion the heartbreaking story of Randy "The Ram" Robinson is not only the best movie of the year but one of the best movies I've seen in a while.
Mickey Rourke does a fantastic job at playing the aging superstar throughout the film and his performance is one of his finest to date. His scenes with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) are some of the saddest scenes ever put to film and I challenge anybody who sees the film to not be moved by them. Rourke's interactions with the stripper Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) are great as well. From their friendly interactions at Cassidy's place of business to their last interaction together, you feel a genuine connection between the two.
Aronofsky proves to us again that he is one of the best directors out their with his latest film and I can't wait to see what else the man has to offer us. The song by Bruce Springsteen is ace as well and fits perfectly with the tone of the picture and I can't imagine anyone else doing the song besides The Boss himself.
Rourke and Springsteen already earned Golden Globes for their contributions, here's to hoping this film does even better when the Oscars roll around...