welcome back Mickey Rourke!

Rating: 9/10 (7 January 2009)

Ladies And Gentlemen..Please welcome Mickey Rourke back to acting. After a 4-5 year hiatus, i believe the last movie he did was either Domino or Sin City.. Mickey Rourke returns from his washed up life and decides to act again. And he returns with the perfect role for him.
The Wrestler starts off showing pictures and background announcements on a match in 1989. It is Madison Square Garden and the place is sold out. You can hear the crowd chanting for Randy, The place is going crazy. 1, 2, 3....and then you are brought to a man sitting in a chair 20 years later. The man is Randy. Randy is now a washed up wrestler. He is now on the Indy Circuit touring with small crowds of maybe 100 seats and working above people just getting into the profession. The other men look up to him, and he is still a role model. The crowd still loves him. He may only make 100 dollars or so for a match on the weekend, but this does not seem to bother him.
After the first 10 or so minutes and the first match, it gets into the real story of the film. Randy's Life. He goes home to a Trailer which is locked because the tenant has not received the rent and Randy ends up sleeping in his van which appears nothing new to him. He has a weekday job of bringing in shipments for a grocery store and he spends all of his money on steroids and a stripper at a club.
This is where i found the movie to get real interesting. The Stripper Cassidy, played by Marisa Tomei, her life seems exactly like Randy's only in a different profession. When we are first introduced to her character she is being shot down by a group or 20 year olds who say they wanted a different girl and she is way to old for them. Randy helps her out and we see the chemistry between the two. She will become an important character throughout the film.
Randy has another match this time it being a Hardcore match. After the hardcore match he has a heart attack where the doctor tells him he can no longer Wrestle. No Longer Wrestle, Are you joking? That is all Randy knows, that is what he lives for. Now it is time to apparently turn his life around. He asks for more hours at the grocery store, His boss tells him all that is open is working at the Deli and he takes it. There are some interesting scenes with him working in the Deli interacting with shoppers. He sees his daughter who he has not seen in ages and tries to rekindle things. The relationship is sort of rekindled and will later become a big part of the ending. I can not really say more about the relationship between Cassidy and Randy and his daughter because they both play a big importance in the end of the film.
THE WRESTLER is only the name of the movie. The movie is not all about that. Do not deny to see this movie because you do not like wrestling. Wrestling is only on screen for maybe 15 minutes. Its about the characters in the film and the way they live their lives. One very short but noted performance came from Evan Rachel Wood, who though only on screen for 10 or so minutes steals the camera when she is on it.
I would give this movie 8 out of 10 It was Solid, i really felt the characters stories and as a wrestler fan, to see some of the tricks and behind the scenes stuff of the movie was interesting. Mickey Rourke does deserve an Oscar Nomination. All the cuts and blood you see in the movie is in fact his. That is how committed to the role he was and to see a real movie directed by Daron Aronofsky where its about the characters and just a life story rather then a movie to mess with your mind. It was a nice break and really enjoyable.
If this movie does come to theatres in our area any time soon i recommend seeing it.