Akito HirataReview - The Wrestler
January 17th 2009 07:23
There is no doubt that this is Mickey Rourke's movie and I cannot imagine anyone else taking on the role as effectively as he did (especially the rumoured Nicolas Cage). I felt uncomfortable watching both Mickey as an actor and The Ram as a character although part way through the movie, the pity I felt for Mickey drifted way and I was able to focus more on the character. There is something about seeing actors with really bad plastic surgery that makes me cringe and often a great performance is overshadowed by their vanity and subsequently overtakes their role. But somehow in this film the combination worked with The Ram as, complete with long dyed locks, sad granny bun, steroid abuse and tanned body, he is a mess.
A regular at a local strip joint, Randy has a crush on Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), a stripper also struggling to keep her life together and who, like Randy, is past her use by date. Although friendly to each other, Cassidy uses the excuse that she cannot get close to him due to him being a client but convinces him to try to repair the relationship between him and his daughter Stephanie, played by Evan Rachel Wood.
I am not one to shy away from violence and in my teens I found myself attending many boxing matches. Although I have never attended a wrestling match, this film brought an amazing realism to the sport.
There are some great scenes in the film. Seeing The Ram work the deli counter with gusto did bring a smile to face but the smiles were few and far between. Ultimately I just found myself feeling sorry for the characters - The Ram, the stripper and the long lost daughter. The characters are fairly stereotypical but all three actors manage to breathe life and sincerity into their roles avoiding a well-trodden path.
Voyage Review: 4/5
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Comment by Linh
Celluloid Fun
This is one film I need to watch!
Especially after Mickey Rourke won the Best Actor at the Golden Globes recently.
Great review!
Cheers!
Comment by Michelle Sweeney
Competition Queen