Ok, this is weird. But I decided on my way home from work to pick up the wrestler, a movie that had received all kinds of accolades for the work of the actors and directors. It was described as one of the great movies of the year and I thought it was worthy to start a thread to encourage people that haven't seen this movie to take a chance and watch it.
This movie was so well put together, and brilliant and at the same time grimy and gritty and at times hard to watch.
The Wrestler falls the down fall of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a formerly great and now washed up wrestler who 20 years before had been the top wrestler in the game putting on shows in Madison Square Gardens and is now stuck doing shows in high school gyms in front of a handfull of people.
Now I had fears that this would be an attempt to expose the wrestling business or attack it even more, especially with the scenes of Robinson being short paid by a promoter, and buying steroids from another wrestler to get ready for a match that meant nothing.
But this isn't really a wrestling movie. Ok, at its heart it is a wrestling movie, but this film could have replaced the wrestling theme with any sport, or any situation where someone gets past their prime but can't move on.
This movie is more about a man that can't really live in reality who has poisoned everything that ever matters to him. Its the story of a man trying to work an ordinary job, get the girl (A very sexy Marisa Tomei as a beaten down older stripper), reconcile with his daughter and leave wrestling behind, a career that at the same time built him up and destroy him.
The pivotal event in this movie is Randy having a heart attack in a grungy high school gym and being told that he can not safely wrestle again even though the end point is a matchup against a old rival from his glory days.
This movie is tragic because Robinson tries so hard to rebuild his life but ultimately makes things worse alienated his daughter and pushing off a potential love interest and throwing his life literally away for one last match in the only world that he feels will accept him.
This movie exposes some things about professional wrestling, and I'm not talking about the glamour and glitz of the WWE or TNA, but it exposes the independant scene populated by either raw rookies or never will bes fighting in front of 100's of people and literally ripping themselves to pieces for the cheers of very few. Its bought into focus when Randy is setting up a match with a pudgy out of shape wrestler who really can't wrestle but is comfortable with accepting hardcore punishment and using a staple gun. The resulting match is incredibly uncomfortable to watch and is a testiment to the expectation of wrestling fans.
The acting in this movie was exceptional, Mickey Rourke puts in a heartbreaking performance as a man who has lost it all and in the end realizes that he's really not accepted and he's not going to be loved by anyone but the fans and the wrestling community, but you can also see a man who's heart has been broken one too many times and he's beyond broken. Tomei is almost unrecognizable as Cassidy a older stripper and a single mom who lives a life that almost mirrors Robinsons in that she has almost become her stripper alter ego and trusts no one outside of the stage. Finally Evan Rachel Woods has a relatively small part and plays the role of a girl that opens herself up to trust one to many times.
The director Darren Afonofsky puts together a smart grim minimalistic movie with little in the way of sound effects and it looks like it was filmed with one long shot and he manages to capture the crushing truth of life, that in order to get anything you have to have faith and put in an effort, something that the main character never realizes.
If I was going to give this movie a rating it would get 4 our of 5 stars with another star added because Tomei channels her inner stripper and looks incredible.
Rent it buy it, but prepare to cringe, cheer and maybe cry a little.
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to CaptainCrunch For This Useful Post:
I haven't seen the movie yet, but wrestling really seems to be a sport that people can't leave behind very well. I mean, in hockey/basketball/baseball/what have you, you have teammates and friends and people you know through the game and outside of it, but wrestling is notorious for being one of the least-trustworthy industries. There are lots of guys who, after the time comes for them to hang up the boots, they are so unprepared for life outside of wrestling because it is just so different from a typical day-to-day life. As a fan and as a human-being, it really makes me sad to see people who were so talented at what they did become so lost and helpless after they try and move on.
What really got me in this movie was how well Rourke portrayed the physical pain a wrestler goes through as a result of years of abuse on their own bodies. Everytime he took a labourous, painful breath, I cringed at the thought of what it must feel like. The acting is definitely superb, and I highly recommend it.
I don't like wrestling, but based on the clip of him at the beach with his daughter and hearing about how some wrestlers cried watching the movie, that sold it for me.
Plus Marisa Tomei as a stripper isn't a bad thing
Quote:
Originally Posted by T@T
Ending = Epic fail IMO
Not quite "epic", but yes a fail for me.... hi-light below:
This type of ending does well for happy endings, but for sad endings I don't think it works as well.
It was ok. I mean yes the acting was great and yeah it did pull at the heartstrings, but I found the story to be completely predictible, the characters cliched, and pretty much everything recycled from many other movies.
I think it was a more engaging story because it felt very realistic, following a guy through his daily routine, simple camera footage. So that was a plus, I enjoyed that.
And yes Marisa is one hot tomale A fine acting job herself.
Better than average, but not worthy of all the oscar buzz it received IMO.
It was ok. I mean yes the acting was great and yeah it did pull at the heartstrings, but I found the story to be completely predictible, the characters cliched, and pretty much everything recycled from many other movies.
Better than average, but not worthy of all the oscar buzz it received IMO.
[/quote]J pold
I found this movie to be lost on a number of people which is unfortunate because it was such a great film. [/quote]
Daradon: I completely agree with you on this one. Are we really seeing something 'new' here.? It's a reworked theme with a troubled protagonist which is basically the premise for all/most movies. I found the 'dancing in the warehouse' scene unwatchable (as in 'ice water down the back' corny..)
I absolutely HATE when people condescend with 'the movie was lost on a number of people' if others don't get on the red carpet to felate rourke.. it was 'ok' but not grab your skull great.. how many layers on the onion do you think i / others missed.?. it's a pretty simple story with some powerful images but IMO 'a number of people' have been fed their opinion by oscar experts.
I'm sorry, but as a lifetime wrestling fan, non-fans wouldn't connect as well with this movie. I've grown up watching wrestling, meeting wrestlers, and even having friends go into the business, and this movie was absolutely powerful and extremely accurate.
I'm just impressed that they decided to bring to light the plight of guys like Randy "The Ram" Robinson; it's about high-time the issue of life after pro wrestling was brought to the surface. Sadly though, I doubt anything becomes of it.
I thought it was a very good movie as well. Worth renting. And for guys, its great because my g/f liked it too so you can kill two birds with one stone. Movie night with the girl and watch a good movie, not a sappy one that they always seem to pick.
I thought this movie was beautiful. The song by Bruce Springsteen just encapsulates the whole theme about the struggle of the average Joe trying to make it in a world that sometimes seems completely stacked against him.
I watched the movie 3 times in the theater, bought the DVD today..plan on watching it again tonight.
An absolute classic. I have never been so touched by a film in my life
__________________
"J-Roc raps about gangsters & guns, pimps & hos and Compton. The guy's not from Compton. He's a white kid from a trailer park. He should rap about what he really knows which is living in his mom's trailer eating peanut butter sandwiches."
Watched it the day before the Oscars...and should've won picture of the year if Milk wasn't basically a "social commentary".
In addition to being believable and gritty and solid movie on its own, it is pretty ironic that it has parallels very closely to Rourke's own career/public life. One adorned by all and a rising star, just as quickly that star can burn out pretty quick and be literally off the map for a decade or more, and life gets pretty tough and pretty brutal for himself and those around him in a hurry. But then out of nowehere, you catch a break for one last harrah...
I don't think he had to do too much research for this character, or have trouble "acting" out this character, given his life the past number of years.
One thing I keep hearing is how this was Mickey Rourke's big comeback..but its not like he was in hiding the last few years. I thought he was great in Sin City.
__________________
A few weeks after crashing head-first into the boards (denting his helmet and being unable to move for a little while) following a hit from behind by Bob Errey, the Calgary Flames player explains:
"I was like Christ, lying on my back, with my arms outstretched, crucified"
-- Frank Musil - Early January 1994
One thing I keep hearing is how this was Mickey Rourke's big comeback..but its not like he was in hiding the last few years. I thought he was great in Sin City.
While I'm looking forward to seeing this (bought the DVD at lunch) I have to agree with this. He was great in Sin City.
The Wrestler
A fine acting job herself.
