"Ram Jam! Ram Jam! Ram Jam! Ram Jam!"

Rating: 8/10 (26 July 2012)

As a character study, "The Wrestler" is a gut wrenching film. Mickey Rourke portrays a pro grappler well past his prime, living vicariously through his past accomplishments as a Madison Square Garden headliner, now just happy enough to accept matches at small town venues in high school gyms and VFW halls. I couldn't help but think back to a particular night in the late Seventies when I attended a card held at an airport hangar on an active military base. Following the matches, one could look through the windows of the dressing room from outside and watch the paymaster handing out cash to the wrestlers for the evening's work. Wrestling fans will recognize some of the names. Arnold Skaaland was the promoter, and the card that night include Ted DiBiase, Pat Patterson, Johnny Valiant (who's in this movie), and The Iron Sheik. It looked like Skaaland counted out three twenty dollar bills to The Sheik, not a very hefty pay day for 1979.
Speaking of The Iron Sheik, he would have been the inspiration for this picture's Ayatollah, the Iranian flag waving villain with bald head and mustache just like the original. Mickey Rourke's character looked like a crusty version of Macho Man Randy Ravage (hence the name Randy the Ram), his persona based on any of a number of flamboyant mat stars of the era depicted. The wrestling itself blended a bit of old time Sixties semi-realism with today's hard core and extreme elements that just like the movies, tries to out-do itself with new gimmicks at every turn. I stopped following it when it got so over the top that it became a caricature of itself; for me the entertainment value had been drained right out of it.
What makes the picture is Mickey Rourke's performance. This is one of the few characterizations you'll ever see where the actor is completely submerged into the role he's playing. Rourke is tender, touching, wild, insane, drug addled and hopeless, but you always feel for him because he's the genuine article in the picture. No doubt, much of that comes from his own personal struggles and he conveys it in a convincing manner.
When I first saw this picture during it's original release, I couldn't believe that was really Marisa Tomei doing her own nude scenes. I'm still not quite sure I believe it, but let's face it, it's pretty difficult to hide the fact that it's her out there in the all together. Once you compose yourself, you'll also recognize the exceptional performance she provides here in support of The Ram, well deserving of the Supporting Actress nomination that year.
For something a little closer to the mark, I would also recommend a 1999 documentary film called "Beyond the Mat" that follows the exploits of pro wrestlers like Mick Foley, Terry Funk and Darren 'Droz' Drozdov. While watching "The Wrestler", the movie and Rourke's character both reminded me a lot of Jake the Snake Roberts from BYM, in that he also dealt with severe addictions and a troubled home life, and if I'm not mistaken, a rather dysfunctional relationship with his own adult daughter.