"Burning The Candle At Both Ends"

Rating: 10/10 (19 April 2009)

I can't really expand much on what hasn't already been said in regards to this critics darling of a film. What I can add is the final scene where Randy The Ram gets on the top turnbuckle and you see genuine tears streaming from his eyes had quite an impact on me. I sat stunned in the theater as the ending credits rolled and Bruce Springsteen's inspired title song played on the soundtrack, realizing I had just gone through a gut-wrenching emotional cinematic experience.
What sets aside The Wrestler from the rest of the pack is that it evokes these emotions from the viewer not through manipulative clichéd plot twists by the screenwriter, but from the performances. Rourke has always been a great actor, and this could quite possibly go down as his greatest role. But Marisa Tomei is a real heartbreaker in this film. Her performance of Cassidey is much more than a T&A role. You feel Randy The Ram's emotional turmoil as his heart gets yanked around by her continuously. As a single mother, Cassidey understandably devotes what little free time she has to providing her young son with the love and support she likely did not have growing up.
Naturally, Cassidey fights her emotions toward Randy not much unlike like The Ram grappling with a fellow roid-abusing opponent before a few hundred hardcore wrestling metal maniacs at a local high school gym every Saturday night.
The Ram achieved great success in the world of professional wrestling. In the late 80's, he was at the top of his game. 20 years later, the game is different. There are hardcore matches involving barbed wire, shattered glass, and staple guns. Younger athletes who looked up to the Ram when they were kids are now his competitors in the ring. But The Ram is a jack of very few trades. He must get a day job behind the deli counter at a supermarket to get out of the financial hole he dug himself into. His deteriorating health is an issue, but after damaging his relationship with his daughter beyond repair, and given up on a could-be relationship with Cassidy, The Ram makes a conscious decision to continue doing what he loves and does best.
Much has been said about the parallels between Randy The Ram and Rourke, the actor. This could very likely be what makes the movie a success. A shrewd gamble which paid nice dividends for Aronofsky - certainly one of the brightest young filmmakers out there today. Evan Rachel Wood capably holds her own sharing the frame with a powerhouse like MR. A bright future for this young actress should she avoid an alcohol and drug-induced meltdown like so many other hot young starlets.
Rourke and Tomei may not have walked home with Oscar gold, but their outstanding performances in The Wrestler will be immortalized in cinematic history forever.