Movie Review - The Wrestler

It's raw, it's intense, it's brutal, it's Mickey Rourke back with a vengeance. Hallelujah honey, where have you been! From the opening titles with flyers and posters depicting the wrestling career of Randy "The Ram" Robinson to the final, devastating scene this movie gripped me in a headlock just like the weekend warriors it depicts might use. Even if his face is a minefield of scar tissue and his reputation disastrous, Rourke uncorks the performance of the year with his soft, sexy voice and blazing talent intact, full force, unbowed. The dude is simply riveting. The Ram is a broken down wrestler whose glory days are behind him, still showing up for matches in small venues where his earnings are always low while the punishment to his aging body is high. Locked out of the trailer he calls home due to overdue rent, he crashes in the back of his truck yet still manages to play The Ram for the kids in his trailer park. With long, bleached blonde hair, spandex pants and a buffed up physique that nevertheless shows the long, hard road he's traveled, Rourke brings an authority to this role that couldn't possibly be matched by any other actor.

The bright spots in The Ram's tough, lonely life are the possibility of a rematch with The Ayatollah (one of the most notorious wrestling opponents from his days of fame in the 80s), his interest in a local lap dancer named Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) and the possiblity of a reunion with his alienated daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). When The Ram suffers a heart attack following a particularly brutal wrestling match, he's forced to retire from the ring but the price is high. It's heart breaking to watch this deeply flawed character trying to work the deli counter wearing a name badge that says Robin (his given name which he doesn't acknowledge) when all he really knows how to do, or wants to do, takes place in the wrestling arena. As he struggles to make a connection with Cassidy and Stephanie, physically recover from his heart attack and deal with losing the source of his only true identity, a grim outcome seems almost certain.

Things to love about this movie: Mickey Rourke in all his glory; The Ram's approach to working behind a deli counter; two dances --a dance between father and daughter in a deserted ballroom at the beach and Rourke's solo dance in a bar; the perfect ending; Marisa Tomei's tough and tender performance
Things to hate about this movie: Bad timing -- most unfortunate that Rourke's performance falls in the same year as Sean Penn's in "Milk". Though Rourke will probably not receive awards due to his Hollywood history, for me his is the best performance of the year (male or female).
Pleasant surprises: This movie actually made wrestling exciting to me, though I've never had any interest in it before.
Unpleasant surprises: During one match a staple gun is used (yikes)