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It's been a few years since Mickey Rourke has left any kind of indelible
impression on the silver screen, well his newest film, THE WRESTLER may
just change that.
{sidebar id=1}There is nothing gimmiky, flashy, or much of anything eye-catching
that really makes THE WRESTLER stand out as a novel film other than in
providing Rourke another opportunity to either work his skills as an
actor or simply crash and burn due to his sometimes inability to do
that, and still get paid. THE WRESTLER though reminds us of just how
good Rourke can be when he wants to. In this, Rourke shows us the
mundane life of wrestler, Randy "The Ram" Robinson 20 years into his
career with a battered body and broken relationships along the way and
finding it harder to maintain an idea of who he is or what he wants.
At this point in his lengthy career he continues to do the
wrestling expo circuits that are held from time to time at the local
high schools along with other wrestlers who are still selling their now
vintage autographed 'hey-dey' photos. It's a film that might leave you
feeling a little depressed seeing that Randy is stuck in a rut doing
the only thing he knows really how to do - wrestle. Sure he's got his
small band of followers, he barely lives from check to check, and tries
to get as much overtime as his regular job will allow him. When all is
said and done, he's a lonely man trying to get in touch with himself
and others.
Rourke has a great scene with his estranged daughter while at the
beach that is very touching and heartbreaking, it also provides us a
snapshot of this character. Ironically, he also appears in what would
seem great physical shape until you're shown the drugs he takes in
order to keep the continual pain he endures from his weekend wrestling
events manageable.
I give THE WRESTLER an 8! You have to be willing to tolerate the
slow pacing of the story though and hang with it til the end or you
might get frustrated.
Mickey Rourke does an incredible job as does his co-star Marisa
Tomei who should get an Oscar nod for her performance as an exotic
dancer with issues of her own. Involved in a "friendly" relationship
with Randy that seems doomed from the beginning, you hope they both
find their inner connections and can even maybe heal one another other
from their past scars.
Despite what might seems obvious, there is always room for hope.
THE WRESTLER is now playing in limited release.
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