Reviews of The Wrestler

Rourke's tour de force

Posted : 2 months, 1 week ago on 19 October 2009 07:25 (A review of The Wrestler)

Most stories are comprised of a few different parts, such as the introduction, the climax and the so called cooling off after the climax. If a film nails all the parts a good story should have, it's likely to have a very good story. What most people don't like about The Wrestler is that the film's climax essentially doesn't end in their mind. If you ask me though, the film climaxes before the monumental fight in the end of the movie. The climax is the downfall of The Ram, and after that we get to digest the entire climax during a fight scene. This story is different in a way because it doesn't peak at a big fight scene, but instead emotionally starting from The Ram cutting his hand at a meat station. All this is most certainly carefully planned out by writer/director Darren Aronofsky, and he also managed to choose the perfect (albeit obvious) actor for the main character, as Mickey Rourke does an utterly fantastic job essentially portraying himself if he had never got his comeback with Sin City and had been a bit more down on his luck. It's an interesting "what if?" scenario for Rourke, and he transmits his interest towards the part to the viewer in the form of the performance of his lifetime.

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A touching ode to wrestling...

Posted : 7 months ago on 1 June 2009 02:09 (A review of The Wrestler)

"A lot of people told me that I'd never wrestle again and that's all I do. You know, if you live hard and play hard and you burn the candle at both ends, you pay the price for it. You know in this life you can loose everything you love, everything that loves you. Now I don't hear as good as I used to and I forget stuff and I aint as pretty as I used to be but god damn it I'm still standing here and I'm The Ram. As times goes by, as times goes by, they say "he's washed up", "he's finished" , "he's a loser", "he's all through". You know what? The only one that's going to tell me when I'm through doing my thing is you people here."

A gritty, compelling character study fuelled by passionate performances, The Wrestler signals a stunning comeback for Darren Aronofsky. The director, whose prior movies have been visually experimental, is surprising here in his superficial restraint - relinquishing the overwrought stylisation he's recognised for in order to helm a raw, straightforward human drama permeated with emotion. The Wrestler is a true tragedy. It aims to bruise the soul and achieves this, primarily because it features a superlative performance by Mickey Rourke that firmly grounds the picture, pushing through the story's inherent melodrama to construct a meticulous portrait of a character an audience can empathise with. It's the role of a lifetime for Rourke who enthusiastically grabs onto the character with both bloodied hands, imbuing Randy "The Ram" Robinson with lashings of anger and self-loathing while also retaining his sense of dignity and humanity throughout. Certainly not an easy motion picture to absorb with a single bite, The Wrestler is a pummelling filmic experience of raw intensity which orbits around the incredible Rourke; his performance a superb presentation of wounded ego within a movie of remarkable observation. An elemental story conveyed simply and exceptionally, Darren Aronofsky's fourth feature film is a winner in limitless aspects.

The Wrestler concentrates on wrestling superstar Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Rourke). Desperate to maintain his career as a professional wrestler after his golden years of the '80s have long passed him by, Randy takes all the work he can get on the small-time amateur circuit; earning money but putting his aging body through severe punishment. Following a particularly brutal match, Randy suffers a heart attack which forces a sudden end to his wrestling career. Randy then attempts to come to terms with a life outside the ring - he takes up a full-time job at a grocery store and tries to repair his relationship with the daughter he abandoned (Wood) while also trying to form a closer bond with a stripper (Tomei) whom he harbours romantic feelings for. However, Randy is incapable of threading together a life of normality, and he's compelled to re-assess things... Is life without wrestling - even for what passes as wrestling at this late stage in his career - any kind of life at all? While pondering this question, Randy is given the opportunity to partake in a high-profile rematch against his wrestling nemesis from the '80s.

The crux of the story concerns Randy's attempts to cope with what he has become and the delusions that keep him going. His sincere but flawed endeavours to reclaim a place in his daughter's life are heartbreaking. As a character study of a despondent soul, The Wrestler is one of the most powerful and compelling motion pictures of 2008. Aronofsky's feature is meticulous in its examination of Randy's tragic life; an examination filled with verisimilitude and lacking in cheesy melodrama. The film additionally provides a profusion of fascinating information regarding behind-the-scenes goings-on at professional wrestling matches, most notably that the violence may be choreographed but is often in fact real. Even if this depiction isn't 100% accurate, it's absolutely convincing.

Rourke as Randy "The Ram" convincingly comes across as an actual wrestler. The man takes the punches, he discusses how a match will play out with his opponent, he cuts himself on the forehead to draw blood (apparently Rourke actually cut his own forehead for added realism), and even takes staples to the chest. Another subtle highlight is how well Rourke gets into the mind of a professional wrestler. Because he's been caught up in the grind for twenty years, not only is he unsure of how to act around his daughter, but a lot of what he does in everyday life also reverts back to his wrestling persona. The Wrestler is definitely not a cheery cinematic experience. The camera follows Rourke's Randy Robinson as he endures some odious practices merely to keep up his appearance. From being pummelled with chairs to using steroids, these are all a major part of the business. Randy is unable to find solace - he is forever at odds with his personality. The man is destructive both emotionally and physically, and both in and out of the ring. He's a wrestler at heart, but his heart is unable to endure it.

After Darren Aronofsky's last film, the ambitious experimental fiasco known as The Fountain, it's a pleasure to witness the director further challenge himself with the low-tech grit of The Wrestler. Superbly crafted with low-key cinematic tools, Aronofsky excels behind the camera; his aggressive, stalwart direction perfectly matching the subject matter. His directorial style is simple and spare, with no attempts to convince us he's a master of his craft. This straightforward approach works best, evoking the down-to-earth nature of a documentary. Shot in a rough, grainy handheld style on the Super16mm format by cinematographer Maryse Alberti, the immediacy is almost unsettling at times. The film is shot mostly from Randy's perspective; the camera usually positioned a step or two behind him. Aronofsky draws a viewer into the life of Randy and one can viscerally experience the man's pains, particularly during one brutal match (in a way it's ironic that one can feel a person's real pain in a "fake" sport). With the increasingly arty characteristics of Aronofsky's previous movies stripped away, The Wrestler is infused with clarity and simplicity, and the dialogue in Robert D. Siegel's first-rate script is inflected with the poetry of the everyday. Clint Mansell's transcendent score also hits all the right notes, the application of 1980's rock music (namely Guns N' Roses) is marvellous, and Bruce Springsteen's song (written for the movie) impeccably closes the feature.

Mickey Rourke makes this a triumphant comeback to remember. Most of Rourke's performances over the past few decades have been total duds, with only a few notable exceptions (such as Sin City). Randy "The Ram" Robinson is Rourke's first fully three-dimensional individual in years. The anguish, pain and inability to adjust for Randy is conveyed in this superlative performance with a fine emotional edge that should have earned Rourke an Academy Award (the Oscar was instead given to Sean Penn for Milk). Rourke fits effortlessly into Randy's faded tights; his muscled, brawny body and mangled face easily embodying this tragic protagonist. This is one of the greatest performances of 2008, featured within a motion picture not about wrestling but about a man whose life is drained and empty. There's not a moment or a single false beat where the spell of Randy Robinson is broken by contrivance. Rourke's commitment to genuinely becoming this gnarled soul is phenomenal, reaching into a nest of frailty to communicate Randy's humiliating ordeals (including a catastrophic part-time job behind a deli counter) and mounting fears.

Randy's only real connection with the world outside wrestling is a stripper named Pam, whom he visits regularly and plies with dollar bills. Marisa Tomei is truly a revelation; really shining here as a stripper past her prime and beginning to truly feel it. Tomei is endearing yet guarded; reluctant to let her sympathetic feelings for Randy become clear. The only hint of a weak link in the cast is Evan Rachel Wood who does what she can, but is ultimately given a fairly thankless role (one of the only sour notes of Siegel's screenplay). Admittedly, Wood never comes off as contrived...she's very convincing...but she's just a thinly-sketched caricature as opposed to a person.

The conclusion of The Wrestler has (expectedly) triggered much controversy - some viewers will definitely dislike the film's abrupt conclusion. Irritatingly, there's no definite closure (we're required to draw our own conclusions), but for this reviewer the ending is fitting, moving and provocative. Randy's final decision (which may likely bring about his death) is a poignant footnote of this remarkable character study. In considering whether Randy's choice is ill-advised or apt, one is asked to glance inside themselves and think about their own mortality. Bear in mind Randy has suffered a sad, brutal life outside of the ring...barely a life worth living. So ponder the question: is it better to live a long, unhappy life or to die happy?

Aronofsky's film is perhaps a bit too straightforward and generic, and it feels overly abridged as well. The director leans so heavily on Mickey Rourke and realises the magic of the performance, but he forgets to infuse the picture with much else. While the wrestling aspect is excellently handled, this indie melodrama also contains a father-daughter relationship which fails to have the reach it ought to.

The Wrestler is undoubtedly one of the best movies of 2008. The main performances are excellent, and they help shed a much-deserved light on two misjudged professions. The filmmaking is focused and evocative, with Aronofsky appearing to be on an impressive trek to discover his humanistic filmmaking reflexes. The Wrestler is an astonishing accomplishment of tone as well as emotional richness and resonance to be pored over long after the credits expire (WWE superstar Roddy Piper reportedly broke down and cried in Mickey Rourke's arms after attending a screening). This is grandstanding stuff, and Aronofsky should continue to mine such rich territory as the results here are utterly riveting.

8.6/10

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lame , did not deserve the hype

Posted : 7 months, 3 weeks ago on 6 May 2009 10:43 (A review of The Wrestler)

Mickey Rourke stars in this very dark film. as a wrestler by the name of Randy "Ram" Robinson. A profesional wrestler coming of age. the film also stars Marisa Tomei as cassidy/Pam ,Robinson's love interest, who is also a stripper who is losing the interest of her customers. and the very beautiful and talented Evan Rachel wood who plays Stephanie, Robinson's daughter who absolutley hates him. I found this film to be very slow moving and to have very little meanginful dialogue. Directed by Darren Arrpnofsky(The Foutain) The wrestler is true to it's tagline "love, pain, glory". Although this does not change my feelings toward the film. Rourke and cast do provide very good performances. Although I do not find this to be my favoite Rouke performance either( I prefer sin city in the role of marv). This film is plain and very bland especially for an Aronofsky film. Also, I belive that this film shouldn't have gained all the hype it did ,beacue it was very low budget and big in star power. Although I did like Aronfosky's approach to directing this film. But in my opinoion skip this film you won't miss anything and its also nothing that hasn't been done before.

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The Wrestler

Posted : 9 months ago on 31 March 2009 11:34 (A review of The Wrestler)

I never thought that I would type these words: I wanted Mickey Rourke to win the Oscar. After years of slumming his quirky and strange talent in B-movies and straight-to-DVD trash, he has returned in a big way. He looks like hell, he sounds like hell, and he's lovable for being so simplistic. Yet he is handicapped emotionally, and, should he continue to wrestle, physically. It is not quite the autobiographical film that everyone claims it is, although that is there, but a complicated, moving and depressing portrait of someone who time passed by. It is not entirely a one-man show since Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood have big emotional impacts, despite very limited screen time. Wood only has two scenes, but they are both emotionally devastating for very different reasons. The first is during Randy's hopeless bid to reconnect with his daughter, she seems receptive to it. They talk about the past, her general uneasiness about his latest promise, his tears to show that he is genuine. They agree to meet for dinner and begin to rebuild. He fails to show up after partying too hard. She is let down once more and casts him out of her house, and life forever. Tomei, bravely bearing all in her mid-forties and looking damn fine still, plays the stripper, who functions as the female equivalent to Randy. Time has passed her by, she is in a career that is more artifice then reality, and, at times, she seems to forget which is which. Their scenes are humorous, sad, touching and complicated.

Darren Aronofsky is very easily the next contender for auteur director of his generation. His aesthetic shows the pain in life. Violence is in escapable in this film, for obvious reasons. But it's the emotionally damaging scenes which hit harder. But Aronofsky is also adapt at showcasing the quieter moments. The horrifying reunion of former wrestlers, an assemblage of Frankenstein's monsters rejects complete with medical devices and steroid caused misshapen bodies, shows the eventually horrors to come. But it is not played for shock or for laughs. Randy is looking around and begins to notice that his fate will be theirs if he doesn't stop soon. Or the scenes where the wrestlers gather backstage, listen to the roster, go over what is plausible in the fight and what is not, and practice certain moves. There's a strange balletic movement to all of this, and it is endlessly fascinating.

This was easily one of the greatest films of the past year, and it's a shame it didn't get as much recognition as it deserved. But it is not the underdog-conquers-all storyline that some think it is. I have a feeling that while Randy wins the rematch, he won't be basking in glory for much longer. Rocky this is not.

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Not just a piece of meat. A heart felt story.

Posted : 11 months, 1 week ago on 20 January 2009 06:53 (A review of The Wrestler)

''I'm an old broken down piece of meat and I deserve to be all alone, I just don't want you to hate me.''

A drama centered on retired professional wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson as he makes his way through the independent circuit...

Mickey Rourke: Randy 'The Ram' Robinson

Darren Aronofsky has always been a Director whom has been close to my heart. Whether it was the film that blew my world away, the much loved The Fountain, or the cryptic puzzler Pi, or the emotionally entrancing Requiem for a Dream, whether it's any of these Darren always proves to be a man of vision. Why am I not surprised Aronofsky's latest, The Wrestler proves to be equally successful? It's because it's a firestorm of truth, a blur of sophistication and a hurricane of a man's struggle with his career and life.
Which is essentially a question of stop doing what you love and die, or keep doing it and go out doing the thing you love most.

Let's just say Mickey Rourke was born to play this part, Mickey is in my eyes The Ram, he envelopes the part and engulfs it as his own. It's magical, wondrous and dazzling without even breaking a sweat. The Wrestler isn't just about wrestling, but about a man, about this living, breathing being, whom is alone, and lonely. His passion is his hope, his hope is life and when his daughter doesn't want to know, and a potential new love of his life, he is a broken man. He has only one thing left, and age and a bad heart have caught up with him, he has to go back to the only thing he knows.
Rourke embodies the struggle Randy faces, and we're along every step of the way as he fights not just in the ring but outside of it also. I find myself in love with everything Rourke does, every syllable he mutters, every breath he takes. This is the role he was born for, he shines, and a film about Mickey is begging to be made.

''The eighties fucking ruled, man, until that pussy Cobain came and fucked it all up.''

Another shining light of The Wrestler is the gorgeous music by Clint Mansell, using a combination of rock and heavy composites, with dazzling results. Shots are used effectively albeit shakily, different to anything Aronofsky has ever done. The backward shooting of Rourke or his daughter is used effectively, as done in a part of Dark Knight, and numerous video games. It's an original way of panning and capturing a moment or series of events.
Acting wise Mickey Rourke is backed up by a wonderful array of fellow Wrestlers and fans. Not to mention two Actresses whom shine for this film and story.
Marisa Tomei as Cassidy really acts to perfection in this, also showing a duality mutual respect for strippers too, in the fact, that what they do is hard work too. Wrestling maybe hard, but pole dancing and dancing also is a complex grueling task. Her performance and chemistry with Rourke boosts this film into the stratosphere of love and new found love. The way she helps him find his daughter a present or the fact she cares enough about him to meet him outside of work is heart achingly real.
Evan Rachel Wood as Stephanie Robinson, plays the estranged daughter of Randy all too well. Shes resentful, hurt and mad at him, in the sense he hasn't been much of a father to her. Many of us may take her dispositon towards him as unpleasant but understandable considering her life without her father's influence. As he faces his heart complication, a chance for a rekindled bond between them emerges, and a one to one presents a new awakening for their love for one another. This however is short lived, as one thing leads to another and Randy let's her down yet again. A scene with the pair on the beach, gives us one of the most moving parts between a father and daughter.

Overall, The Wrestler is a very powerful film about love, passion and loneliness. A love for something you can't live without, a life that knows Wrestling, that sacrifice is not an option,where anything is possible no matter what the consequence. Mickey Rourke is the reason to see this film, his performance is the best of his career, his Sin City gravelly voice is a pleasure to hear and his body the pinnacle of experience and ripe for this role. Darren Aronofsky and Rourke etch out a place in time for a notch in greatness, the ending being one that leaves what happens, up to our imaginations, and Darren knows this is the cleverest way to play upon us. For leaving it open to suggestion and discussion, is to envision and emblazon one thing to us, and that is a message of hope.

''In this life you can lose everything you love, everything that loves you. Alot of people told me that I'd never wrestle again, the only one that's gonna tell me when I'm through doing my thing, is you people here.''

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