When a Man Falls...and Picks the Glory Back Again.

Rating: 7/10 (14 February 2009)

Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler marks his fourth full-length feature film. With Mickey Rourke to reprise the role of Randy 'The Ram' Robinson, a aged wrestler who is picking up the glory back again, The Wrestler has become one of the best film made in 2008.
Aronofsky has been well-known for bringing surprises to the audience in his previous works, with Requiem for a Dream (2000) bagging several awards for his shock factors in the drama on the disaster due to over indulgence in drugs, sex and slimming pills. Today, The Wrestler will make audience see how a man brings back the glory he enjoyed 20 years ago thru violence, failed relationships and doing something he had never done before.
Randy (Rourke) is a former wrestler who now teaches wrestling to school kids and in neighborhood areas. Once a famous wrestler, he no longer enjoyed much fame he had compared to 20 years ago. Occasionally making appearances in wrestling match, Randy suffers a heart attack which could have left him dead if he goes wrestling for another round.
Thus, he decided to do something he has never done before. First, falling in love with a aged stripper Cassidy (Marisa Tomei in her most daring role ever). Second, to patch up his estranged relationship with his lesbian daughter, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Woods). Working as a supermarket worker in the delicatessen department as odd jobs, Randy wants to get back his pride that he has lost. When both relationships doesn't work out well, he decided to go back to wrestling, even though he knows he is taking the risk of playing a game with death for the second time.
The Wrestler is a story on a fall of a man from his glorious times, and how he wanted to get back the pride he enjoys formally. Emotional struggles were presented in endless wrestling matches, frequent visits to strip club and unable to communicate with colleagues at work. These are some ways on how Aronofsky want to tell how a old wrestler who finds comfort in expressing his emotions, thru acts and habits he is familiar with.
One shouldn't expect Aronofsky to tell the story in a very smoothing and pleasurable way, which is healthy for the eyes and the mind. Expect a fair amount of violence and sex in The Wrestler. Violence is something a professional wrestler will feel alright with, which is sad to say, a part of his job. The scene on Randy having a match with his opponent at a surrounding filled with shattered glass, barb wires, stapler and razors serves as a thrill for the fans, at the expense of their health and body.
Randy's romance with Cassidy shows that he do not mind his lover's profession in a sleazy club which the main purpose is to service and satisfy man's most basic needs. It is sad to see that when a wrestler makes a living out of his body, he is falling in love with someone who is making a living out of displaying her body. Sad, but true. If anyone is looking for a very simple boy meets girl dating movie, The Wrestler will not be your choice.
From their heydays to making lists of B-movies, Rourke and Tomei are making a comeback in The Wrestler. Rourke, famous for his classic performances in Adrian Lyne's 9 1/2 Weeks in 1986, is making a comeback in The Wrestler. With his experience in acting in B-listed movies for more than a decade, Rourke's experience has been put to a good use by Aronofsky. Using only 35 days to complete the shooting of The Wrestler, Rourke do not need much practice in playing a role of a wrestler getting back his glory. He is putting life into the story, which has truly gained him a Golden Globe Awards 2009 for Best Actor.
Marisa Tomei makes a breakthrough as Cassidy, an aged stripped. It is not a wonder that many feels that being a B-listed actress, she appears naked in a role that serves as a sex object to the public. However, it is rare for such roles to gain a recognition by the juries of the Academy Awards, and Tomei has proved that she can do it.
It is not easy to watch The Wrestler if one is simply looking for the thrill they want in a wrestling match. Yes, you got the action, the violence and the gore. But it was the sweat, tears, years of loneliness and struggle that makes The Wrestler the recipient of Golden Lion Awards in 2008 Venice Film Festival.
One do not need to watch any wrestling competition to watch this independent movie. Knowing the emotions and struggles is more important than knowing the wrestling skills to watch the wrestling match in life.