A Review of The Wrestler

I've stated this many times before on the site but The Wrestler is the movie I've been wanting to see and make since the sixth grade. Back then, I was intensely into professional wrestling, how it worked and all the behind the scenes know how. I cannot explain why but I was just fascinated with the sport and all that went into it. It always bothered me how no one generally seemed to respect it or give it any kind of credence. 

So, when I heard that an incredibly talented director like Darren Aronofsky was going to direct a film depicting a realistic portrayal of professional wrestling starring Mickey Rourke it was like my fantasy had come true. Getting frustrated with the state of Mississippi not getting any decent movies, I decided to take a three hour road trip with a group of my friends (Caleb, Guy, Rob, Daniel and Amy) this past weekend to New Orleans just so I could see The Wrestler theatrically. Yes, that's right; I decided to go three hours out of my way just to see this movie. That's how excited I've been about this thing. 

The verdict (after all the hype, anticipation and the three hour drive): it's pretty much flawless.

I have to admit this- The Wrestler probably isn't for everyone. Much like a lot of Darren Aronofsky's films, it is fairly brutal, realistic and pretty devastating at times. There is a lot of humor in the film (which works incredibly well) but, in the end, it's the story of a burnt out, washed up professional wrestler who is just as self-destructive as the profession he loves with all of his failing heart.

Just to get this out of the way, as you may have heard, Mickey Rourke is incredible in this movie. I've been a fan of Mickey Rourke ever since he started to make his come back in Sin City as Marv. The guy has continued to impress me since then but nothing has remotely compared to what he pulled off in this film. Rourke does so many things with the character of Randy "The Ram" Robinson that it is not even funny. At times, he manages to be charismatic, funny and incredibly endearing. When he is alone, he is able to emit the pain, loneliness and isolation he feels from the rest of the world in volumes that most actors could barely reach. The amount of vulnerability that Rourke managed to display in certain scenes (particularly in two scenes with Marisa Tomei and a few scenes with Evan Rachel Wood) is pretty astounding, especially since his tough guy turn as of late. At other times, Rourke is able to be frustratingly self-destructive, pushing all the people that love him away from him. It is hard and quite painful to watch. As many people have pointed out, it feels like the story mirrors Rourke's own life story and that it feels as if he is pulling out emotions that he has felt for some time now on film. I'm not sure if this is completely true but I can say that everything Rourke does feels genuine and real. Much like Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight, Rourke is able to completely embody himself into the role. It's amazing to watch.

Darren Aronofsky is also to be commended for his direction on this film. Unlike his direction on his other movies, Aronofsky directs The Wrestler in a stripped-down, almost documentary style manner. Gone are stylistic camera tricks, gorgeous cinematography and hyper editing (to be honest, he began making this transition with The Fountain). The direction in The Wrestler is gritty, dirty and unforgiving. A lot of directors have tried the documentary-like directing style in films before but no one has come close to the realism that Aronofsky is able to display in this film. After a while, you will begin to feel like Randy "The Ram" is a real person and he just has a camera crew following him around for a few days. With this style, Aronofsky is able to show many scenes of intense violence, emotion and disappointment in a matter-of-fact way. By doing this, he never manipulates the audience once in the entire film. He just shows things how they are and lets the audience feel however they feel when they see what occurs. He never once goes for a tug of the heart-strings. He never once makes you wanna love or hate the Ram. He just shows you how this character exists and lets you decide how to feel. It's brilliant and incredibly mature filmmaking. Because of this, The Wrestler is easily Aronofsky's best film.

The realism that Aronofsky strives for particularly comes out in two sequences. The hardcore match really took me back. Never once did I think that I would be disturbed by a hardcore match because, well, I've seen a lot in my day. However, the way it is shot makes it just as horrible as it really is. I loved the contrast between the way The Ram's opponent acted backstage as opposed to in the ring. Backstage beforehand, he is soft-spoken, articulate and fairly intelligent. Hearing him talk in such a calm way about putting staples in someone's body was so bizarre. Then, seeing him in the ring, I couldn't help but be taken back. He turned into a complete animal, mutilating his own body along with the Ram's. The way this sequence was edited, going back and forth in time, was pretty brilliant. The image of Rourke sitting in the locker room afterwards, his back full of holes after staples have been cut out of it, was one of the most horrific things I think I've ever seen on film. 

The way Aronofsky filmed the strip club scenes also helped get across the realism of the film. Unlike most Hollywood films, Aronofsky didn't glamorize the strip club in any way. It's a dirty, filthy place filled with perverts and girls that honestly don't look that great. Marisa Tomei definitely doesn't look bad but the production team definitely did their best to make her look this way. Also unlike most Hollywood films, Tomei bares it all. Again, it's not played to be sexy or enticing. It makes you feel dirty and uncomfortable. As you grow to like her character, you really hate to see her go and strip.

Despite all the destruction that is occurring in this film, there are a lot of really great humorous moments. As I mentioned earlier, The Ram can really be a charismatic guy that you really wanna hang out with. The scene where he gets into his new job as a deli worker was really heart warming and funny to watch. I also really liked the scene where he goes shopping for items to use in the hardcore match. There's a lot of moments like this spread throughout the film that really help to pace the movie and give a good sense of comic relief. Luckily, none of the humor ever feels artificial or forced. It all is worked in naturally and it really just makes the movie better than it already was.

Other than Rourke, the supporting cast all give really solid performances. Marisa Tomei does a good job as Pam, the stripper who befriends Rourke. She really is an interesting character because she always is relunctant to really break the customer / stripper relationship but it is always evident in her face that she truly cares for the Ram as a person deep down. I also enjoyed the parallel that was played out with her character and the Ram in one sequence. Evan Rachel Wood is also really great as Stephanie, the abandoned daughter of the Ram. She has some really emotional scenes with Mickey and she is really able to hold her own (and that's saying a lot since Mickey was knocking it out of the freaking park). A lot of the real life professional wrestlers did a great job in the small roles they had. Ernest "The Cat" Miller did a good job as the Ayatollah, the former wrestling legend who's only interested in selling cars. As I stated earlier, Dylan Summers (a.k.a. the Necro Butcher) is pretty stand out in his hardcore sequence with Mickey.

The music was also pretty great in this film. Going along with The Ram being a 1980's wrestling star, Aronofsky littered the film with hair metal from the 80's. The film has music from Quiet Riot, Ratt, Cinderella and Guns N' Roses. It even features a scene where Rourke sings and dances along to "Round and Round" by Ratt. How great as that? The score by Clint Mansell (featuring guitar work by Slash) is very subtle and, honestly, it is barely noticeable at times. However, I feel that it does its job and gets the right feeling across. I'm glad that it wasn't overbearing (like Mansell's Requiem for a Dream score). If it had been, it may have hurt the realism that Aronofsky was trying so hard to create. I did, however, like the subtle theme that they created for when something really violent would happen or when Rourke would have heart trouble. It was almost like a buzzing noise, much like the theme Hans Zimmer created for the Joker in The Dark Knight (only not nearly as stand out or obvious). I also really liked Bruce Springsteen's original song for the movie entitled "The Wrestler." I listened to this thing a billion times before seeing the actual movie but, seeing it within the context of the film after that final, haunting image, it definitely has much more of an impact.

The problem that I feel most people will have with the movie (and the thing that some of my friends definitely griped with) was the ending of the film. Obviously, I won't remotely go into detail on this. All I can say is that, after reading a lot of the behind the scenes stuff and seeing documentaries like Beyond the Mat, this finish is one of the truest, most honest parts of the film. The Ram's character arc mirrors that of many real-life wrestling legends who have become washed-up and work the indie circuit. In the end, where his heart truly lies is where many wrestler's hearts do lie. Obviously, I cannot discuss this further without hinting at things or going into spoilers. All I can say is that it struck me hard and I appreciated the truth behind it. Kudos to screenwriter Robert Siegel for doing his research. That and I loved that final image. It impacted me emotionally and physically. I felt like I was moving for a second. It was a very strange feeling. 

I've been thinking about this movie non-stop since I saw it Saturday afternoon and I just cannot get it out of my head. I haven't found anyway to justify giving it lower than a perfect score. It's just flawless. The only gripe I had with it was that I just wished it was longer. The performance by Rourke was amazing, Aronofsky's direction was incredibly realistic and hard-hitting, the screenplay by Siegel was great, the humor was spot on, the emotion was real, the music was awesome... it was all good. Wrestling is in a very dark place right now. Most wrestlers are dying before the age of 50, sex and violence are amplified to cartoonish levels in WWE and public opinion is definitely down. The Wrestler definitely addresses the darker side of wrestling, showing the impact it can have on an individual in both an emotional and physical way. It's a very tough business and, after seeing this movie, many people may change their views on those that engage in it. I don't know if they will necessary respect those who wrestle but I feel that they will definitely sympathize with them.

This movie is the reason that the Oscars have absolutely no legitimacy. The fact that this wasn't nominated for Best Picture is a travesty. 

If you somehow get the chance to see this movie, do it immediately. They don't make them like this anymore. 

10/10