The Wrestler

There's been a lot said about this film and, depending upon what side you fall on, it being snubbed for the most part by the Academy or overhyped by the media. As someone who grew up watching wrestling and guys just like Mickey Rourke's Randy "The Ram" Robinson, I have to admit I was eagerly looking forward to finally seeing this film. It is, as has been discussed, as tailor-made a role for Rourke as there could ever be and he is, for me at least, brilliant in his portrayal.

Growing up in the South, where Ric Flair and Richard Petty were as much sporting idols as Walter Payton and Michael Jordan, it's easier to have an understanding of the wrestling business beyond its more modern "sports entertainment" incarnation. I've also been lucky enough to know people involved in promotions similar to the independent shows "the Ram" is relegated to as a main plot vehicle of the film. The appearance of wrestlers mainly affiliated with RoH (Ring of Honor) is also a nice touch by director Darren Aronofsky and those responsible for casting.

Marisa Tomei is also amazing as Cassidy who is essentially the female foil to Robinson. A lot has been made of her role as a stripper but more than anything else she is every bit Rourke's equal. As advertised, both characters are struggling with largely the same dilemma - finding themselves when who they want to be is 20 years in the past. It's Springsteen's "Glory Days" in a near 2 hour film. Speaking of which, it's only apropos that they somehow managed to get the "Boss" to pen a song for "the Ram".

That said, the charm of the movie lies in the real story here told through people living norma lives as unreal characters. Most of us will never drop and elbow from the top rope or have a $20 bill shoved into our underwear in front of crowds in public. However, who amongst us, especially over the age of 30, doesn't yearn for one more shot at something that made us feel so alive in the past? You can tell yourself that you don't but, in my opinion, it's definitely there deep down in all of us.

The scenes involving Randy's interactions with his dwindling fans, Cassidy, other wrestlers, and ultimately, his daughter exhibit the true narrative into stark contrast with the minimal in-ring footage. Sometimes life is about reconciling your past with your present as you constantly move into the future. That.... that is the story of this film not headlocks, steroids, chairshots, full frontal nudity or the cheers and jeers of the crowd.

4.75 elbows to the heart out of 5