As Good As Billed

Rating: 9/10 (28 November 2009)

There is no greater blow to the ego of a once formidable athlete or entertainer than when the cheers stop. "The Wrestler" is a poignant film because it touches on two fears most people have at some point in their lives: irrelevance and loneliness. Former pro wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson (wonderfully played by Mickey Rourke)was once a superstar but now is a broken down, financially strapped has-been living in a trailer. He is estranged from his teenage daughter, whom he left years ago. His only meaningful relationship is with stripper Cassidy, herself a middle aged person in a profession filled with younger competition. When a heart attack forces Ram to stop wrestling, he realizes just how difficult it is to transition away from the only life he's ever known.
Rourke's humane portrayal of "The Ram" engenders immediate viewer sympathy. He is a tragic figure, his heyday long gone. He sadly muddles through life a lonely, washed up ex-wrestler playing sparsely attended venues and working as a part time grocery store employee. Perhaps the saddest part of the film is his failed reconciliation with his daughter. While having empty sex and taking cocaine after an event, he accidentally stands her up on a dinner date, destroying the sliver of trust he'd built up and ending any chance of ever having a relationship with her. Unable to live comfortably and conventionally in an uncaring world, Ram goes back into the ring for one final battle.
One does not have to be a wrestling fan to appreciate this film. "The Wrestler" reminds us what can happen when we wrap too much of ourselves into our profession and do not maintain balance in our lives. Rourke perfectly embodies the washed up ex-athlete looking to find his way and in my opinion was cheated out of an Oscar; the Academy instead going for the "safe" pick in Sean Penn. No matter, however, "The Wrestler" is very well done.