The Wrestler (2008) Review - Dylan McCully

Written by Dylan McCully, 10/15/22

Dylan McCully's Cinema: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls521125877/

Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler is my favorite of his filmography and is his (monday night) rawest movie. Mickey Rourke is The Ram. This is one of the most transformative performances of the past twenty years, and I will give the highest praise to Rourke's acting and Aronofsky's directing.

If you've ever been to a independent wrestling show or a wrestling convention then you've seen all the washed up stars of the past trying to relive their heydays. The same can be said for Randy "The Ram" Robinson, who was headlining MSG in the 80's, and is now working bingo halls to pay the bills. The Wrestler is shot on handheld, which instantly makes it distinct compared to Aronofsky's previous films. It's almost hard to talk about mise en scene or specific elements like lighting because it's all so realistic. There's no guise of a film - it's like watching real life play out. One thing I really appreciate about this film is the care put into getting the wrestling business right. When people talk about wrestling in media, they usually talk out of their ass about what they think wrestling is, rather then getting to truly know the inner mechanisms of the business. I love the scenes where Randy is planning spots with other wrestlers, or actually wrestling in the ring. Mickey Rourke actually went through training to make it look legit, and all these elements combined is why a lot of former wrestlers like Roddy Piper or Bret Hart respect this film. Jim Cornette doesn't like this film because he thinks it shines a bad light on the guys from his era. They don't all turn out broken and broke, but the movie wouldn't be interesting if they showed the life of a financially successful wrestler with little to no problems. Randy meets Cassidy (played by Marisa Tomei) who is a stripper, and is a possible love interest. Randy gets booked for a big rematch against his legendary opponent from the 80's - The Ayatollah. Randy thinks this is his chance to get back on top, so he starts taking steroids, but has a heart attack after a match and is forced to retire by his doctor. Cassidy convinces Randy to meet with his estranged daughter, Stephanie, who isn't ready to reconvine at first. Eventually their relationship is improved after an emotional monologue from Rourke, who is really genius here. That lasts for all of five minutes until Randy's self-destructive habits kick in again.

The Wrestler speaks to me as not just a stellar film, but a fantastic take on the world of wrestling. It serves as a thematic companion to Requiem for a Dream, instead of literal drugs Randy is addicted to the thrill of being on top, having the fans behind up, it's the "itch" that a lot of wrestlers talk about. Steve Austin had the "itch" recently and wrestled a match at WrestleMania after he retired nearly twenty years ago, and it went over very well. Ric Flair wrestled a match this year after being in and out of retirement for a decade, and many of us thought of The Ram. 8/10

Aronofsky Ranking:

1. The Wrestler (2008) - 8/10

2. Requiem For A Dream (2000) - 7/10

3. The Fountain (2006) - 5.5/10

4. Pi (1998) - 5.5/10