Wrestling with the “The Wrestler”…

I just got back from seeing “The Wrestler”, a movie that I was absolutely pumped to see.  I really couldn’t wait to see Mickey Rourke again in a film that could blast him back into the stratosphere.  Make no mistake Mickey Rourke is a great actor that can reach inside and rip your heart out with emotion, then punch you in the face with drama.  I have been rooting for Mickey ever since I read the cover article of a magazine that escapes my memory, a couple of years back.

Mickey’s life paralleled mine in many ways.  A product of the eighties, taking on roles that were totally beneath his abilities, chasing the money, spending the money, not understanding the rage, not understanding the 10 year old child wanting his way, using alcohol to self-medicate, never really understanding that there is a responsibility for fame…and ultimately self-destructing in front of the world (my world was a little smaller then his)

I went into this movie wanting to experience the rawness that everyone was talking about, the Oscar worthy performance, the movie that lived up to the hype…and in all honesty, I was left empty.

I felt like I was constantly waiting for the movie and I felt like the film was a bit haphazard.  I come to find out that it was filmed in that way to make a point but that’s the real problem, it never did.

Mickey Rourke’s performances in most of his scenes were awesome.  You could feel his pain but I think the pain was all to real for this once Hollywood Royalty.  Some of the scenes I thought were worthless like the “fucking in the Women’s bathroom scene” and Marisa Tomei showing us her “tits” through out most of the movie.  A funny thing is I’ve been to Cheeques (the strip club, she works in) and you can’t by law show any sexual skin, i.e nipples, vaginal area  in New Jersey.  Maybe the laws have changed but I still didn’t see any reason except to see them.  The part could have still been “complicated” without the gratuitous “breast” exposure as director Darren Aronofsky stated in an interview for the reason why he picked Tomei for the role.

This movie had everything on the surface I would want in a movie…filmed in NJ, shot at some of the “haunts” of my youth, Mickey Rourke (one of my favorite actors), Marisa Tomei (just plain hot), and a Bruce Springsteen song (…that didn’t play until the end).  I’m still wrestling with “The Wrestler”, I think you should go see it if you haven’t but don’t have expectations for it and you will probabaly come out a bit more satisfied then I was.

Release Date: December 19, 2008
Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama And Sports
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Judah Friedlander, Ajay Naidu
Directed By: Darren Aronofsky
Produced By: Vincent Maraval, Agnes Mentre, Jennifer Roth
MPAA Rating: R
Studio: Fox Searchlight

Plot:
Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a 1980s-era pro wrestler, has become a burnt-out shell of his former self. After he has a heart attack during a small-time match, a doctor tells him he could die if he fights again. In an effort to build a new life, Robinson takes a job at a deli, moves in with an aging stripper and tries to build a relationship with her son. But the prospect of a rematch with his old nemesis, the Ayatollah, proves too tempting to resist, even if it means risking his life.