In a word: Heartbreaking

Rating: 10/10 (14 February 2009)

The glory days are well past for Randy "The Ram" Robinson(Mickey Rourke,more on him later),an aging pro wrestler who keeps wrestling long past his prime. Still in good,if not great,shape for a man hitting middle age and having endured countless abuses in his long career,he lives the life of a near hermit,alone in a trailer park barely able to cover rent. His closest friend and/or love interest is a bright,engaging stripper(Marisa Tomei,absolutely captivating once again)who goes by the stage name of Cassidy(real name:Pam).
A massive heart attack after a particularly grueling match has the Ram re-evaluating his life,with repercussions that are both sublime and sad.
Director Darren Aronofsky seems to like making movies--WHEN he's making them--about people whose lives seem to spiral downward(Requiem for a Dream,this one and,from what I've divined about it,Pi),and this is straight up the description. The Ram is someone who may not be completely lost in his glorious past but one couldn't really blame him ife he were. He is a big,hulking,brooding shell of a man who works hard to NOT be the fighting machine his image is painted to be,being effusive and avuncular to the local kids,magnanimous and gracious to the fans(and really anyone in general),all while slowly dying on the inside. To say Mickey Rourke was able to completely fill this character out to every physically and emotionally painful end would be understatement,but I cannot think of better words to describe it. I don't think it's an understatement to say that his performance truly makes this movie,but it isn't the entirety of it. Using a mostly "no-name" cast,Aronofsky and screenwriter Robert D.Siegel are able to fuse very routine characters and dialog to everyone,including the three main stars--Rourke,Tomei and Even Rachel Wood(As the largely disaffected and estranged daughter of the main character)and their characters with near seamlessness.
Probably should've been an Academy(I believe it was a Golden Globes,among others)consideration for Best Picture,that's no matter anymore. This film walks and talks and does exactly what it aims to do: take you into the sad,heartbreaking life of a proud but broken man and making you feel every iota of that emotion and does it without hardly missing a beat. Would I say it's the best movie of 208? Well,I haven't seen all or probably even most of the movies that have ben released from last year(who has,really?),but I'd have to say this would have to be easily one of the top five. Highly recommended!