The Wrestler

Poor Mickey Rourke. He used to be a sleek sex symbol. Now he looks like a poorly assembled, partially melted Mickey Rourke action figure. He’s all bumps and bruises and weird knobby bits that don’t belong on a human body. But he has the perfect face and physique for this film, in which he plays washed-up professional wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson. He pushes himself through small-time wrestling events and a job at a supermarket deli counter; the depiction of his life feels horrifyingly real, thanks to the use of low-res videotape. It’s as though you’re watching the home movies of a guy who just overdosed on steroids and optimism. Also excellent is Marisa Tomei as an aging stripper. But the heart of the story is the relationships between the wrestlers, their tender camaraderie and backstage affection. Effectively moving, and it explores a realm of male-male relationships that is rarely well-presented in cinema.

The Wrestler is not showing in any theaters in the area.

Director:

  • Darren Aronofsky

Cast:

  • Mickey Rourke
  • Marisa Tomei
  • Evan Wood

Producers:

  • Scott Franklin
  • Darren Aronofsky
  • Vincent Maraval
  • Agnes Mentre
  • Jennifer Roth
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