4/5
Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler is a phenomenal piece of work. He takes a subject most audience members know little about, professional wrestling, and envelops us in it, enraptures us through an unexpected intimacy with its performers. Mickey Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a wrestling superstar 20 years after his glory days. We see him still wrestling in school gyms and run-down sports clubs, and at first we think he's desperately clinging to some faded, tattered notion of the greatness he once was. But we slowly realize he isn't; the fans are still there, and every single one of them knows his face and his long, magnificent history. They are closer to him than his family, and they are the only ones who understand him. The Ram is a compelling entry into the ever-growing list of film protagonists, and one I can't remember seeing anything like before. Mickey Rourke makes this movie what it is.
His life is in shambles. After suffering a heart attack from an intense match, he is told that he can no longer wrestle. He wants to see his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) again, to reconnect with her, so that he won't be hated in her memory. But his long history of absence, while only hinted at, runs deep through their words, their looks, and their movements. Much is said while little is shown. We see how much hurt a small mistake can make.
Marisa Tomei plays a stripper who is also getting too old for her performance, with plans to retire soon. Their relationship is strictly business, but after the Ram's heart attack, he breaks the rules and asks for more. We see glimmers of hope, as with his daughter, and we see mistakes and missed opportunities. We understand the power of bad timing. We empathize with a man we may not like or agree with, because we see his humanity in ourselves.
I have yet to talk about Aronofsky's directing. It is, in a word, personal. Voyeuristic, but close. It brings us into a foreign world, it shows us wonders as if they're commonplace, and it does so with humility. Aronofsky lets his actors perform, he lets the message settle; the directing never overshadows the content. I can see that being difficult for Aronofsky. He strikes me as an arrogant director, but clearly he has exhibited both restraint and intelligence in this film, and in so doing has demonstrated his love for the art form.
While I found myself liking the film cognitively, I didn't feel the same way emotionally. Except for the title song, I didn't really feel it speak to me. I want to see this movie again. I think my rating would change. I want to fall in love with this movie as I saw others fall in love with it. But I can't honestly give it a higher rating than 4. I'm sure you can though, so I highly recommend it.
IMDb link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125849/
