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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The mystery of Mickey Rourke's career comes to a grungy apotheosis in The Wrestler the much-battered actor's triumphant return to the top rope. He plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a heavily scarred and medicated battler who's twenty years past his best moment in the ring. But he still schleps to every second-rate fight card he can get to, stringing out the paychecks (more likely a fistful of cash) and nursing what's left of his pride. His attempts to adjust to a more normal kind of life form the most absorbing sections in the movie, whether it's flirting with a stripper (Marisa Tomei is in good form, in every sense), establishing a bond with his understandably angry daughter (Evan Rachel Wood), or working behind the deli counter at a nondescript megastore. Rourke is commanding in the role; he obviously spent hours in the gym and the tanning salon, and his ease with the semi-documentary style adopted by director Darren Aronofsky allows him to naturalistically interact with the colorful real-life wrestlers who crowd the movie's ultra-believable locations. All of which helps distract from the film's overall adherence to ancient formula. You might find yourself waiting for the scene where the risk-taking Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) pulls the switch and reveals his true motives for pursuing this otherwise sentimental story, but there's no switch. The Wrestler is an old-fashioned hoke machine, given grit by an actor who doesn't seem to be so much performing the role of ravaged survivor as embodying it. --Robert Horton
Stills from The Wrestler (Click for larger image)
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Product Description
Mickey Rourke gives the performance of a lifetime as pro wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a former superstar now paying the price for twenty years of grueling punishment in and out of the ring. But he's about to risk everything to prove he has one more match left in him: a re-staging of his famous Madison Square Garden bout against "The Ayatollah." Darren Aronofsky directs a powerful cast in this action-packed saga of guts, glory and gritty determination that is "as irresistible as a headlock" (New York Post ).
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
159 of 173 people found the following review helpful
By Movie Fan
Format:DVD
I've been a wrestling fan since the '70s and it's one of those things that I have to hide from most people because they think it's a joke or they just don't understand what it's appeal is. Then came along "The Wrestler" and now my friends are asking me questions and taking interest in "the business". I saw the movie with some friends and family and we had some very spirited discussions afterward. They couldn't believe that these guys would, for example, mutilate themselves to have blood in matches (a practice called "blading" that's performed with a small piece of a razor blade), or that years spent in the ring will leave most wrestlers battered and even disabled thanks to the legit wear and tear that wrestling has on the body. Most people assume a wrestling ring is a trampoline, but it's actually like landing on concrete and over time there's a price to pay for taking bumps on such a hard surface for so many years. "The Wrestler" reveals all of these issues wrapped up in an enthralling and emotional motion picture you wont soon forget.
Life imitates art on several levels in "The Wrestler". For example, the movie shows the dark side of steroid abuse that has caused a laundry list of wrestler deaths in just the past 10 years (the pressures of the Monday Night War era claimed the lives of countless wrestlers). Well, during the first backstage wrestling scene, Mickey Rourke's character shakes hands with a wrestler that is huge and jacked to the gills. That wrestler died from heart failure a few weeks before the movie's release. Also, there is a scene where another huge and overly muscular wrestler sells several illegal muscle enhancers to Rourke's character. That wrestler was recently arrested for selling drugs. But the real story here, is how Mickey Rourke's character of Randy the Ram mirrors Mickey's life in many ways. Both are former stars, both have pushed their bodies to the limit in sports (Mickey revealed on the Charlie Rose show that he was forced to quit boxing because one more serious blow could've been it for him) and both want to get back in the spotlight. Thankfully, Mickey has achieved his goal of regaining the spotlight. As for Randy, that's a different story.
Randy the Ram, seems to be based on a combination of former wrestlers Lex Luger and Jake the Snake Roberts. Lex Luger's ailing body and rock bottom financial situation plus Jake's volatile relationship with his daughter were definite inspirations for screenwriter Robert Siegel. Mickey takes the experiences of Lex and Jake, along with his own and shapes a character that he was born to play. The part was originally written for Nicholas Cage, but I can't imagine anyone but Mickey Rourke playing this part. Mickey plays Randy with such heart and soul that he truly makes the audience feel for him. We feel his pain, we relate to his shortcomings and we cheer him on to find love and rebuild the relationship with his daughter. When Randy apologizes to his daughter for being on the road wrestling and not being there for her when she needed him, you feel it.
As a wrestling fan, one of the most powerful scenes takes place at the end when Marisa Tomei's character begs Randy not to wrestle just moments before the start of a match due to his heart condition and Randy tells her that he belongs out there. It's the only place he fits in, it's the only place he feels successful and loved. Randy's music then hits and a man who looked broken down and beaten just a second ago, busts thru that curtain and walks out as a superstar with the crowd eating out of his hand. It's a powerful scene that sums up why so many wrestlers find it so difficult to walk away from the business.
Don't let the fact that "The Wrestler" takes place in the world of professional wrestling keep you from seeing it. You don't need to be a fan to enjoy this movie. Wrestling is merely the backdrop for the drama taking place on the screen. Everyone puts in amazing performances. Rourke and Tomei deserve their Oscar nominations and Evan Rachel Wood nearly steals the movie. Just keep this in mind while watching it. Don't get too wrapped up in the drama, because after all, it is just a movie. And movies are just fake, scripted entertainment with predetermined outcomes.
Life imitates art on several levels in "The Wrestler". For example, the movie shows the dark side of steroid abuse that has caused a laundry list of wrestler deaths in just the past 10 years (the pressures of the Monday Night War era claimed the lives of countless wrestlers). Well, during the first backstage wrestling scene, Mickey Rourke's character shakes hands with a wrestler that is huge and jacked to the gills. That wrestler died from heart failure a few weeks before the movie's release. Also, there is a scene where another huge and overly muscular wrestler sells several illegal muscle enhancers to Rourke's character. That wrestler was recently arrested for selling drugs. But the real story here, is how Mickey Rourke's character of Randy the Ram mirrors Mickey's life in many ways. Both are former stars, both have pushed their bodies to the limit in sports (Mickey revealed on the Charlie Rose show that he was forced to quit boxing because one more serious blow could've been it for him) and both want to get back in the spotlight. Thankfully, Mickey has achieved his goal of regaining the spotlight. As for Randy, that's a different story.
Randy the Ram, seems to be based on a combination of former wrestlers Lex Luger and Jake the Snake Roberts. Lex Luger's ailing body and rock bottom financial situation plus Jake's volatile relationship with his daughter were definite inspirations for screenwriter Robert Siegel. Mickey takes the experiences of Lex and Jake, along with his own and shapes a character that he was born to play. The part was originally written for Nicholas Cage, but I can't imagine anyone but Mickey Rourke playing this part. Mickey plays Randy with such heart and soul that he truly makes the audience feel for him. We feel his pain, we relate to his shortcomings and we cheer him on to find love and rebuild the relationship with his daughter. When Randy apologizes to his daughter for being on the road wrestling and not being there for her when she needed him, you feel it.
As a wrestling fan, one of the most powerful scenes takes place at the end when Marisa Tomei's character begs Randy not to wrestle just moments before the start of a match due to his heart condition and Randy tells her that he belongs out there. It's the only place he fits in, it's the only place he feels successful and loved. Randy's music then hits and a man who looked broken down and beaten just a second ago, busts thru that curtain and walks out as a superstar with the crowd eating out of his hand. It's a powerful scene that sums up why so many wrestlers find it so difficult to walk away from the business.
Don't let the fact that "The Wrestler" takes place in the world of professional wrestling keep you from seeing it. You don't need to be a fan to enjoy this movie. Wrestling is merely the backdrop for the drama taking place on the screen. Everyone puts in amazing performances. Rourke and Tomei deserve their Oscar nominations and Evan Rachel Wood nearly steals the movie. Just keep this in mind while watching it. Don't get too wrapped up in the drama, because after all, it is just a movie. And movies are just fake, scripted entertainment with predetermined outcomes.
67 of 80 people found the following review helpful
By A. Brodie
Format:DVD
The Wrestler marks Darren Aronofsky's growth as a film-maker from strange, science-fiction tinged films to films with emotional resonance in a real setting. I am a huge Aronofsky fan, loving Requiem for a Dream nearly as much as Pi, but I was underwhelmed by his last effort, The Fountain. His films are almost unbearably intense, most prominently shown in Requiem, but The Fountain abandoned his first two films' grittiness for a sleeker, polished story-line, exploring ambitious philosophical themes while failing to deliver on the emotional level. For a while, I was worried where Aronofsky's career would go, especially after seeing that he was helming a project called The Wrestler, which seemed to deviate from the subjects of his previous works.
The Wrestler gets everything right. Aronofsky trades high-minded philosophical themes for a more grounded, concrete narrative. He also reestablishes the inventive camera-work that made Pi and Requiem so aesthetically stunning, shooting almost the entire film on a hand-held camera. And, lastly and most refreshingly, he reinstates the violence and shock-value of his first films, escalating the wrestling scenes to cringe-inducing bouts of brutality and decadence. However, such violence is in aid of characterization--to show the hearts behind these men in the ring, to demonstrate the toll such entertainment may take on one's body, all in the service of a loyal, loving audience.
"The only place I get hurt is out there," says "The Ram" as he enters the ring towards the end of the film. Rourke, giving a breathtaking performance that should have EASILY triumphed at the Oscars (it's a travesty that he didn't win), provides us a window into the tortured soul of a man who's thrown his life away for the sake of his profession. No matter how much Ram deviates from our idealized vision of a hero, the audience never feels any animosity towards him; he screwed up, and he knows it, but he can't help it.
The mirrors to Rourke's life are easily seen, making the film into some manner of Greek tragedy rather than mere drama. It is Aronofsky's presence, and a wonderfully crafted script, that sets The Wrestler above other comback portraits like Rocky; the brutality is reminiscent of Raging Bull, and the style behind the film is a marvel in itself. The Ram is equated to Christian iconography, pointed out by Marisa Tomei's stripper, in that he suffers for humanity--not only is it an effective comparison, but it gives the film more depth than the average comeback piece. The buildup of sounds is used frequently as well, to great effect, to further the window in the life of the Ram.
The film is not for everyone; my sister refused to watch the wrestling scenes, because they are quite shocking. Some scenes are rather melodramatic, but effectively so, making the film a draining emotional experience (I went teary-eyed at least twice). But, it is a rewarding film if you have any interest in the craft, or wish to see the performance of a lifetime by Mickey Rourke.
The Wrestler gets everything right. Aronofsky trades high-minded philosophical themes for a more grounded, concrete narrative. He also reestablishes the inventive camera-work that made Pi and Requiem so aesthetically stunning, shooting almost the entire film on a hand-held camera. And, lastly and most refreshingly, he reinstates the violence and shock-value of his first films, escalating the wrestling scenes to cringe-inducing bouts of brutality and decadence. However, such violence is in aid of characterization--to show the hearts behind these men in the ring, to demonstrate the toll such entertainment may take on one's body, all in the service of a loyal, loving audience.
"The only place I get hurt is out there," says "The Ram" as he enters the ring towards the end of the film. Rourke, giving a breathtaking performance that should have EASILY triumphed at the Oscars (it's a travesty that he didn't win), provides us a window into the tortured soul of a man who's thrown his life away for the sake of his profession. No matter how much Ram deviates from our idealized vision of a hero, the audience never feels any animosity towards him; he screwed up, and he knows it, but he can't help it.
The mirrors to Rourke's life are easily seen, making the film into some manner of Greek tragedy rather than mere drama. It is Aronofsky's presence, and a wonderfully crafted script, that sets The Wrestler above other comback portraits like Rocky; the brutality is reminiscent of Raging Bull, and the style behind the film is a marvel in itself. The Ram is equated to Christian iconography, pointed out by Marisa Tomei's stripper, in that he suffers for humanity--not only is it an effective comparison, but it gives the film more depth than the average comeback piece. The buildup of sounds is used frequently as well, to great effect, to further the window in the life of the Ram.
The film is not for everyone; my sister refused to watch the wrestling scenes, because they are quite shocking. Some scenes are rather melodramatic, but effectively so, making the film a draining emotional experience (I went teary-eyed at least twice). But, it is a rewarding film if you have any interest in the craft, or wish to see the performance of a lifetime by Mickey Rourke.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Mike
Format:DVD
Synopsis: Robin Randzinski, though better known by his ring name Randy "The Ram" Robinson (played by Mickey Rourke), is an aging wrestler who went from selling out the Madison Square Garden in the late '80s to splitting time between wrestling at a semi-professional level and working as a butcher's assistant just to make a living. Living alone and close to poverty, he befriends a stripper named Pam, who herself is better known by her stage name Cassidy (Marisa Tomei.) After wrestling in a particularly brutal hardcore match, Randy suffers a heart attack and learns his body can no longer take the strain of competing as a wrestler, thanks in a large part due to years of drug abuse. With a new outlook on life, Randy realizes his biggest regret: Losing contract with his estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). He does what he can to adjust to normal life, but can Randy escape the self-destructive behaviors that got him to where he's at in the first place?
Mickey Rourke's portrayal of a faded wrestler was the largest reason why I was floored after I saw this film. I've met people who've wrestled semi-professionally and have seen wrestling documentaries such as Beyond The Mat, so I use my experiences with both as a yard stick in saying this. Rourke's performance was beyond remarkable in regards to authentic it felt. He put himself through what many others put themselves through on a regular basis to demonstrate the suffering these performers go through to maintain the sport and entertain it's fans. Rourke didn't just play the role in the film; he became Randy "The Ram" Robinson and you couldn't help but give your empathy toward his character, no matter how much of a screw up he was.
I also enjoyed Marisa Tomei's role in the film (and no, not just because of the nude scenes.) I've met women who, like wrestlers, have had to sell their body just so they can get by. She demonstrates the balance of having to use your sexuality to make a living while having to protect herself from both abuse and emotional attachment. Much like Rourke's character, she can't escape her stage persona simply because she isn't working; it's ingrained into who she is because of what she does.
In the end there were no fireworks, no glory, no spectacular situations for anyone to claim champions of. There's no Hulk Hogans or Stone Cold Steve Austins to excite thousands in attendance and millions watching at home. There are the gutsy up-and-coming semi-pro wrestlers trying to be the next star, over-the-hill semi-pro wrestlers trying to recapture who they used to be, and small venues jam packed with the hundreds of fanatic fans who'll keep coming as long as the door's open for them. The wrestling can be hard to watch but it's nothing that's overexaggerated; it's only what many do to themselves for the love of what they do and the entertainment of those who cheer for them.
This has managed to become one of my personal favorite movies. I recommend it to all.
Mickey Rourke's portrayal of a faded wrestler was the largest reason why I was floored after I saw this film. I've met people who've wrestled semi-professionally and have seen wrestling documentaries such as Beyond The Mat, so I use my experiences with both as a yard stick in saying this. Rourke's performance was beyond remarkable in regards to authentic it felt. He put himself through what many others put themselves through on a regular basis to demonstrate the suffering these performers go through to maintain the sport and entertain it's fans. Rourke didn't just play the role in the film; he became Randy "The Ram" Robinson and you couldn't help but give your empathy toward his character, no matter how much of a screw up he was.
I also enjoyed Marisa Tomei's role in the film (and no, not just because of the nude scenes.) I've met women who, like wrestlers, have had to sell their body just so they can get by. She demonstrates the balance of having to use your sexuality to make a living while having to protect herself from both abuse and emotional attachment. Much like Rourke's character, she can't escape her stage persona simply because she isn't working; it's ingrained into who she is because of what she does.
In the end there were no fireworks, no glory, no spectacular situations for anyone to claim champions of. There's no Hulk Hogans or Stone Cold Steve Austins to excite thousands in attendance and millions watching at home. There are the gutsy up-and-coming semi-pro wrestlers trying to be the next star, over-the-hill semi-pro wrestlers trying to recapture who they used to be, and small venues jam packed with the hundreds of fanatic fans who'll keep coming as long as the door's open for them. The wrestling can be hard to watch but it's nothing that's overexaggerated; it's only what many do to themselves for the love of what they do and the entertainment of those who cheer for them.
This has managed to become one of my personal favorite movies. I recommend it to all.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A raw look into the realities of wrestling and aging
This movie was poignant and heartfelt. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, even the moments that were grotesque, because they were included for a reason. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Kyle H. Sharpe
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ram Jam!!
This movie was great, being a big wrestling fan as a kid, of course I checked this movie out. I was not dissapointed what a great drama about an aging wrestler trying to piece back... Read more
Published 7 days ago by Paul Stewart
5.0 out of 5 stars
A true gem of film!!
This is one fantastic movie, and this is coming from someone who despises WFW with a commited undying ferver. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Natja Kristy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Film
The only reason that this review is 4 stars, rather than 5 is for one reason... This is the LOUDEST spinning DVD I have possibly EVER played. Read more
Published 25 days ago by JDK13
5.0 out of 5 stars
Puts a Choke Hold on You and Never Lets Up
The Wrestler put a choke hold on me from the beginning and never let up.
Mickey Rourke's performance is so honest and moving that you almost forget to judge his acting because... Read more
Mickey Rourke's performance is so honest and moving that you almost forget to judge his acting because... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dayna Newman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting Drama
This is an exciting movie about a professional wrestler which needs to retire but struggles in his life outside the ring.
Great Acting , Good story.
Great Acting , Good story.
Published 1 month ago by Aussi-Traveler
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and touching
Mickey Rourke delivers his best in this movie, worth the watch, it can be watched as a mans movie or as a couples movie either way itll make you feel something for the guy.
Published 2 months ago by D.Reseck
1.0 out of 5 stars
Worst Movie Ever
The movie was pointless and depressing. He was given many opportunities to change his life, but he choose the destructive path. I regret renting it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Solas
4.0 out of 5 stars
Loved this movie!
It might not be for the average viewer, being borderline Realism in terms of it's editing and visual style. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Amiram Burg
5.0 out of 5 stars
More movie than I thought
I thought this movie would just be about wrestling with so-so acting. It was an excellent story and the acting was excellent.
Published 2 months ago by Jim
