The Wrestler

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) is an aging professional wrestler past his prime, trying to eke out a living with a disinterested stripper (Marisa Tomei), trying to reconcile with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and recapture some of his past glory.

Review:

Tim: I am starting to wonder if Darren Aronofsky is a director whose works I want to love, but simply can't. I truly wanted The Fountain to be one of the best movies of the year, and although I liked it, I had to admit it was flawed. With The Wrestler, I had high expectations, as critics loved it. Again, though, I feel disappointed. I don't think this was as powerful as people thought. I think too many people got caught up in Mickey Rourke's performance and the comeback story, letting that blind them. Yes, there are some great moments in The Wrestler, but that doesn't save the film. I didn't like it nearly as much as I wish I had.

Mickey Rourke certainly throws himself into the role, but I wasn't as completely blown away as I expected. I was really surprised when he lost the Academy Award for Best Actor to Sean Penn, but upon closer examination of both roles, the Academy made the right choice. Rourke is good, and it certainly might have saved his career, but his performance is only slightly above average. Yes, he does have some absolutely outstanding moments, but he can't keep them up throughout. I actually enjoyed Marisa Tomei's performance better. She has such a quiet presence on screen. It is so easy to overlook her, but she consistently gives excellent performances. I thoroughly enjoyed her here. Evan Rachel Wood adds in a few good moments, but she doesn't have enough screen time to make a huge difference.

I applaud Aronofsky's filming this movie in an almost documentary style. The movie feels very low budget, almost as if we're getting a close up view of the life of a real man, instead of watching a movie. This certainly contributes to the film. However, the movie drags in far too many places, where we see scenes that I could have sworn we'd already watched. The middle of the movie simply bogs down, which proves to be fatal. The movie isn't very long at 111 minutes, but it feels much longer. I believe Aronofsky directed this movie with great restraint, holding everything back in an effort to show a small, almost claustrophobically small movie. I wish he had let up just a little and give us something that would have sparkled. Instead, his restraint nearly suffocates the movie.

The story is interesting, although unbelievably depressing. There isn't a single character in the movie that didn't make me feel for all of humanity. I can appreciate that if it is done right, but I just felt sad throughout the entire movie. Even the film's eventual conclusion feels a bit weak- as if Aronofsky held back that moment that would have just blown the audience away. I felt like the conclusion was powerful, but not nearly powerful enough.

I always do a little bit of self reflecting when I feel a genuinely critically acclaimed movie isn't deserving of the hype or the accolades. In this case, I believe I am justified. The film received only two Oscar nods- Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei, picking up zero trophies. I feel like this movie was an excellent effort that just came up wanting in a number of different areas. I think the story of Rourke's comeback blinded too many people. The Wrestler was an ambitious effort, but not one of the year's best.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream