MOVIE REVIEW: The Wrestler

Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler has been gathering multiple accolades for Mickey Rourke's shattering performance as professional wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Additionally, Oscar winner Marisa Tomei has a pivotal role as his potential love interest and Evan Rachel Wood plays Randy's estranged (and possibly lesbian) daughter.

Presumably, the film's 98% rating on rottentomatoes.com is fueled by Mickey Rourke's disturbing portrayal of a man who is completely stuck in his 1980s heyday. Rourke's physical transformation into an unrecognizable, broken man who has been wrestling professionally for over 20 years is executed with jaw-dropping verisimilitude. Randy (Rourke's character) is now partly deaf in one ear, riddled with injuries and on multiple medications. He also lives in a rented trailer (that he can't always afford) in New Jersey(!) and is completely alone except for the time he spends in a stripper club called "Cheeks" that lets him in because he has a good line on cheap painkillers for the bouncer.

Cassidy (Tomei's character) is a stripper at Cheeks who appears to think of Randy as more than just a customer and reveals more layers as the film unspools. Stephanie (Wood's character) is Randy's daughter who he contacts after an unspecified number of years at Cassidy's suggestion. All three actors are superb, with Rourke delivering a towering performance that is destined to become widely celebrated. Director Aronofosky, known for his showy visuals in movies like Π and The Fountain, shoots this movie in a very subdued, almost documentary style which deepens its emotional impact.



Running Time: 1 hour, 46 minutes, MPAA Rating: R.


OVERALL GRADE: A-.

ACTING: A.
IMAGERY: B+.
PLOT: B+.
IMPACT: A.