The Wrestler - Critical Review

The Wrestler (2008)

Plot: Back in the late '80s, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of die hard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey.

Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life -- trying to reconnect with his daughter, and striking up a blossoming romance with an exotic dancer (Marisa Tomei) who is ready to start a new life. Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy "The Ram" back into his world of wrestling.(imdb.com)

Review: *This review may contain minor spoilers* Growing up as a young boy in America there is no avoiding the phase of your life where professional wrestling is top priority in your entertainment world. For me it was during the sixth grade when WCW and WWF temporarily jumped ahead of the Minnesota Twins and Boy Meets World. The Wrestler takes you on a behind the scenes adventure into the life of wrestlers. Set in the late 80's this film follows Randy "The Ram" Robinson through the ups and downs of his career. The film took on an interesting twist when you learn that Mickey Rourke's acting career has followed a eerily similar rise and fall. Like Randy I wish that we could fly back to the 80s sometimes. The music, the vehicles, and the overall attitude that Randy loved was reflected in this movie. Props go out to the team that was in charge of setting the scene and getting costumes, buildings, vehicles etc together in hope to create a fairly accurate setting for the movie.

I wish that I knew a little more about where the writer (Robert D. Siegel) got the idea for this story. To take a look at this behind the scenes point of view on the career of a professional wrestler was very interesting. Earlier in his career Randy had found great fame and is now performing in much smaller venues but still riding the fame from his heyday. Remembering the rush from hearing the fans shouting his name has caused Randy to push his body to extreme measures in order to make a return to the top. There must have been some sort of inspiration from an actual wrestler that lead to this premise as many real life professional wrestlers seem to hang on as long as they can as well. But the story alone would not have been the same without the hard work and extreme lengths that Mickey Rourke went to to accurately portray his character. It seems as if Rourke was aware that this was potentially his last chance at rejuvenating his acting career. To make this role as realistic as possibly Rourke said that he did, "Almost, everything that actual wrestlers do." He worked himself back into shape, jumped from the turnbuckle, cut himself for the show, and by many accounts he even roided up to get the maximum amount of muscle, all of which came across brilliantly on the screen. Along side Rourke was Marissa Tomei (Cassidy) whose exotic dancing career was coming to an end as her age began to catch up with her. The casting and character development throughout this movie really added to the overall affect it had on its viewers. The correlation between the situations that these two characters find themselves in is what makes their relationship so captivating on the screen.

This movie was a little graphic for my taste but was a fantastic story. I would highly recommend this movie for adults and feel as if everybody can find something to relate to in this film. I have rated this film 4 out of 5 stars. If you are interested in learning more about this movie, click here to view the trailer.


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