Review: The Wrestler

The Wrestler

Mickey Rourke, in "The Wrestler," is a rare case in when being typecast can be a good thing. Nicolas Cage was originally slated to play the role of Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Soon after signing on for the role, Cage pulled out from the project after attending a Ring of Honor show in New York City; which paved the way for Rourke, whom the director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream) said his "heart was with." And what a good choice he was. 

Mickey brings more than his acting talent to this role. He brings the heart, the soul and the authenticity. Rourke's weathered visage, worked wonders as Marv in his role in Sin City; and it is no different for "The Ram." Rourke encompasses every nook & cranny of his character. From his still chiseled, yet battered physique; the hearing aid and reading glasses he wears outside of the ring; the tears he wears in the movie's most touching scenes; the humility he shows his colleagues; the joy he gives the neighborhood kids who look up to him; all the way down to the anger and intensity he brings, inside and out of the ring. The emotional depth Rourke brings to this movie is staggering.

Randy "The Ram", whose real name in the movie is Robin Ramzinski (which he wishes he could do with out), is in the twilight of his wrestling career. He works for the local grocery store to pay the bills, but his heart is in the wrestling that he does on the various independent circuits -- with the wash-ups and the aspiring up-and-comers. He spends his nights at the local strip club where he frequents an aging stripper (who also seems to be in the twilight of her career) named Cassidy (the [very] convincing Marisa Tomei). "Ram" and Cassidy frequently find a connection in the realization that they are both part of a profession that no longer fully appreciates them. One night, after a hardcore match (brutally filmed by Aronofsky), Randy collapses from a heart attack. He wakes up in the hospital, after his bypass surgery, to the prognosis that his body is no longer fit for wrestling. Forced to retire, he gives up a 20 year anniversary match that he hoped would be his ticket back to the big time. Out of desperation to validate himself, he picks up more hours at the store and becomes more proactive in his pursuit of Cassidy, which in turn leads to her advice that he should try to rekindle his relationship with his estranged daughter, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). Soon after, thing start to look up for "Ram." He begins to find fulfillment in his new postion at the store, in the deli section working with the customers. After a futile reconciliation attempt with Stephanie, he manages to convince her to have a talk with him. With a trip to a New Jersey pier; a brutally emotional heart-to-heart; and a dance in a condemned building, they find what they've both always wanted: The love of a father, and the love of a daughter. Unfortunately, Randy is having a hard time breaking the customer-only policy that Cassidy just can't seem to let go of. After a frustrating argument, Randy goes off and relapses on his newly refomed ways. Having a regretable one-nighter with a young lady, who is oddly obsessed with fire fighters -- you'll see. He ends up paying for his recklessness, and eventually regresses to his main drug of choice: Wrestling. The one thing in his life that never caused him any pain.

Although Rourke has recieved the most attention and praise, his supporting cast holds their own. Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood and Todd Barry are phenomenal in their roles. Although, their best contributions to the movie were perfectly planting the emotional seeds that allow Rourke to flourish. "The Wrestler" is a raw, cerebral masterpiece. The screenplay, written by Robert D. Siegel, a frequent contributor to The Onion (who's work I look forward to following, in the future, as he makes his transition into films), is seamlessly adapted to the big-screen by the master himself, Aronofsky. I look forward to more brilliance from the veterans: Aronofsky, Rourke and Tomei. As well as the seemingly bright futures that lay ahead for Wood and Siegel.