mrkwooThe Wrestler (2008)
January 27th 2009 02:19
Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was one of the biggest stars in pro wrestling in the 80s. We slam to the ground and the honeymoon is over when we see Randy now, middle aged, weary, his still impressive body sore all over after another small time battle. His loyal legion of fans and admiring fellow wrestlers surround him, but he is alone. He works at a supermarket to make rent and regularly goes to a strip joint to have warm company with stripper Cassidy (Marisa Tomei). After a personal tragedy, Randy tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) but she is too scarred by his years of neglect to let him in so easy. Randy is now facing life outside of the ring, and it doesn't welcome him with open arms.
Filmed on a very low budget, The Wrestler is very simply filmed. We follow Randy's huge figure from behind as he goes about his daily routine to keep up his appearance as the invincible killing machine. Appearing like a friendly giant woefully trying to find his place in the world, we immediately sympathize with this modern tragic hero. With the physique of a gladiator with long blond locks and a solarium tan, he seems like he's wasting away serving at the deli and clumsily picking out clothes for his daughter. He is a man stuck in his heyday, unable to grasp the present and the possible future without his devoted fans.
Using a documentary-style approach, we get pretty close into the world of pro wrestling. We see the battles, the overwhelming cheers from the audience, the self inflicted pain Randy puts himself through week after week, the doctors routinely tending to his awful wounds, the camaraderie of the wrestlers backstage - it's all depicted to us in an honest, unbiased and deeply intimate manner. To me it made wrestling look less like mindless violence and more like a dedicated performance, with these men putting themselves through so much to create a realistic battle of an almost mythical quality, and keep the elated fans screaming for more.
The performances were superb. The fall of Randy "The Ram Robinson cuts to the bone. Although it wouldn't seem surprising when observing his reckless lifestlye, his foolishness is stripped bare before our eyes, and we cannot help but feel pity for the broken man who ultimately broke himself down. His rough boyish charm and funloving attitude can't even keep himself up anymore, as he feels himself becoming a relic. But his pain is silent, slowly simmering inside him. Marisa Tomei brings such warmth and complexity to her role, fleshing her out into a flawed but admirable human being to what could have been a throwaway character. There was not enough of Evan Rachel Wood, which was a real shame because her brief moments with Randy were heartbreaking and did so much in so little time.
The Wrestler was an unexptectedly deeply affecting film. With its bare style of filmmaking, it's easy to overlook the well crafted screenplay by Robert D Seigel which made this such a standout piece. Mickey Rourke was Randy Robinson. 8/10
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