MOVIE REVIEW: THE WRESTLER

Mickey Rourke’s big comeback film, The Wrestler, is a tale of hopes and dreams stunted by the realities of life. While we may not all be aging wrestlers hitting major crossroads, we all have been or will be at a similar crossroads one day and just as scared about which path to choose.

The film is about Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Rourke)—one of the best professional wrestlers from the 1980s. It’s been 20 years since his heyday and he’s now old, achy, poor and lonely in New Jersey. During the week, Randy hangs out with the kids living in his trailer park and tries to earn some extra money by working at a supermarket. But every weekend, he tries to recapture his glory days by donning spandex pants and competing in local matches for diehard fans. It’s only during these matches that Randy truly feels like himself.

After suffering a heart attack, Randy must re-evaluate his life. He turns to his only “friend,” an aging stripper named Cassidy (Maria Tomei), attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) and gets a real job. But can The Ram ever be happy with a “normal” life?

From the moment the film starts, you are rooting for Randy to get through all of his troubles and make a big comeback in wrestling that will bring him all the glory his bruised ego requires—and the money necessary to have a decent existence. Golden Globe winner Rourke was perfectly chosen for the film's title role. He really got into this character both physically and psychologically, and the emotions he displays leap right off the screen and into your heart.

Most of the wrestling scenes were gruesome to watch—yet they still give an insider’s view as to what is faked and what is not. (Surely it was hard to film these highly choreographed matches—even for a former professional boxer like Mickey.) The “extreme” wrestling tournament is especially gross (Staples, glass and barbed wire! Oh my!), but it’s an important match to highlight because it shows that today’s wrestling fans want so much brutality than they did 20 years ago.

The Wrestler also has a great soundtrack featuring songs from the ’80s that a man like Randy would actually listen to. The Ram’s theme song is Quiet Riot’s “Metal Health (Bang Your Head),” he bonds with Cassidy over Ratt’s “Round and Round” and Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” plays as he gets ready for his (final?) match. Additionally, songs from Cinderella, FireHouse, Accept and Slaughter can be heard. However, it was the brand new tune “The Wrestler”—penned just for the flick by Randy’s fellow Jerseyite Bruce Springsteen—that took home a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
The way director Darren Aronofsky draws a comparison between Randy and over-the-hill exotic dancer Cassidy is perfect. People get old no matter who they are and what career path they have taken. The point is to grow older gracefully and to keep moving forward; don’t get stuck in the past like these two.

—Cheryl A. Hoahing