Serviceable...but nothing special.

Rating: 5/10 (27 July 2009)

Once again the ten star reviews and top ten lists just leave me scratching my head. This whole exercise is a pedestrian piece of film making which never really connected with me. I found the fact that wrestlers really sustain some serious injuries during these "make believe" battles to be much more interesting than the story itself. In fact, the back stage camaraderie between these leotard clad warriors is the only reason I rated this movie as high as I did. This could have just as easily been a behind the scenes documentary about the WWF. In fact, I wish it had been, that way I could have skipped it all together (not really being a fan of wrestling). The only reason I watched this movie was because the professional critics were raving about the vividly drawn characters and compelling story. Personally, I thought the relationships between the characters are all dead ends and I really didn't care what happened to any of them. I did like the parallels being played out between the wrestler nearing the end of his career, and the stripper reaching her final pole dance, but even that wasn't enough to garner more than a tepid five stars. That being said, I thought Mickey Rourke was fantastic in his role...I just wish it gave him a little more to do!