Movie Info:
Writers: Robert D. Siegel
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry, Wass Stevens, Judah Friedlander, Ernest Miller, Dylan Keith Summers, Tommy Farra, Mike Miller
Rating: R
Studio: Fox Searchlight

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: January 30, 2009
DVD Release Date: April 21, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $16.99

Movie hype always scares me when it comes to seeing any new movie. It always takes me back to movies like Interview with the Vampire. So many people say how amazing it is and then you see the movie only to find that it just doesn’t live up to the hype. Sometimes it is so far off from the hype that it even makes me annoyed that people talked about a movie so much. So, there was some level of trepidation involved when I approached The Wrestler.

Other than having to review this, the thing that made me most excited about watching was the inclusion of veteran actor, Mickey Rourke. Rourke was not seen for quite some time and as this movie will show you, Hollywood has surely missed his presence. Tomei and Rourke make a sizzling combination. Even the documentary style filmmaking worked perfectly for what was trying to be achieved. I am not normally a fan of the documentary style, in traditional movies, but the talent, along with the directorial touches made this easily one of the best offerings in cinema from the last few years.

It was incredibly easy to see the lives of real wrestlers being borrowed from and even mimicked in Randy “The Ram” Robinson. From the steroid use to the Ram Jam that was Robinson’s signature move, The Wrestler easily could have been a real documentary even though it’s nothing more than fiction.

One might think that this is a limited movie based on the subject of wrestling and the fact that not all people actually like wrestling. Rourke makes this movie much more than wrestling. The poignant acting, the emotional portrayal, and the interesting improvisational moments (Rourke behind the deli counter waiting on real customers) make this movie just fascinating to watch. These things all up the replay factor by about 100%.

Aronofsky is a relatively new director, but I can say with all honesty, if he remains on this track he will have no problems becoming one of the most celebrated directors of the new generation. This is the type of work you expect to see from a seasoned director. It’s nice to know when the legends in the field retire that people like Aronofsky will be here to keep the fires burning properly.

The Wrestler Plot
Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Rourke) is an aging wrestler that watched his heyday come and go a long time ago. While he was big in the 80s, as the movie opens, he is only popular enough to wrestle on the weekends and with small wrestling companies. One of his first shows leads to the promise of something better when a promoter attempts to talk him into a rematch with one of his biggest opponents.

The Ram rematch versus the Ayatollah (Ernest Miller) is some of the biggest news in small-time wrestling. This was a match that originally sold out at Madison Square Gardens. The Ayatollah is willing to come out of retirement for one more fight and Robinson agrees in hopes that it could jump start his dwindling career. Other than his career, Ram has little. He is fond of an aging stripper, Pam/Cassidy (Tomei) though she is reluctant to pursue anything with any of her clients. Other than that it is just his daughter, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood), though she wants nothing to do with him because all he does is let her down.

When he is on stage, Ram feels no pain, in some sense. He is loved by the people. He has been a wrestler so much that is all he knows, so even though it no longer aptly pays his bills, he still does what he does best. He finds that this gets him locked out of his trailer because he can no longer pay the bills. Between wrestling and his part-time job at the supermarket he still doesn’t make enough to make ends meet.

With the new match looming, he stacks up on steroids and other drugs to get ready for his match. Unfortunately, his body is not what it used to be and it causes him to suffer a heart attack. Though Ram claims to feel no pain, the doctor makes it evident that wrestling could cost him his life. It leaves Ram with the decision to work at a Deli counter and be the fading star that few remember or to go out with one final bang, doing what he once did best.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
We received a Fox screener for our review of The Wrestler. When this happens we often do the studio a favor and opt out of grading the audio and video that we have available to us. In the case of The Wrestler, things actually looked and sounded pretty good. However, this is not to say that it won’t be made better in the final product. With that in mind, I won’t comment too much other than to say the specs include 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and audio options that include English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital Surround, and subtitles in both languages.

Bonus Features:
Surprisingly there are only two special features that appear to be on this disc unless they end up adding more to the final product, which is generally unlikely. One of the features is a music video for The Wrestler handled by Bruce Springsteen. The other special feature is a making of, “Within the Ring.”

Fans will really enjoy this making of. It offers a run time of close to an hour and the creators blend a good deal of the time with both cast and crew and real wrestlers that are able to weigh in on the movie and how much realism it offers. It is an excellent feature and well worth watching. It would have been nice to see a lot more, but the lack of features here just tells me that there will be a Collector’s or Special Edition out soon enough.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
The Wrestler was one of the best movies that I have seen recently and it was certainly one of the best of 2008. It was amazing to see Mickey Rourke come back in such a big way. I have loved his work for a long time, but this was in an entirely different league. Even if you do not like wrestling (I am not a huge fan myself) you should enjoy this movie. It is heartfelt and sad in many ways, yet it is incredibly engaging. If you haven’t seen this yet you definitely should. It lives up to all of the hype and then some.

Overall Rating:

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