Dem Reviews: The Wrestler

MRWRERS15  4 MCNISHBack in the days, I used to love WWF. Ultimate Warrior was the man and a simple one at that. He never spoke as he focused on nothing else but kicking ass and taking names. Wrestling was my world for about 2 years but somewhere along the road, it lost it’s luster (I think when Ultimate Warrior disappeared and heard rumors that he was kicked out because the tried to rape Macho Man, that was when I stopped). Fast forward a few years and now I’m revisiting that world with Darren Aronofsky at the helm of this voyage called The Wrestler as he shines a whole new light on the life of a wrestler.Aronofsky has crafted a wonderful film with The Wrestler and is very much deserving of all the praise it has been receiving as of late. The director continues to amaze me with his ability to create films that all have their own distinct look & feel and this one is no different. He was able to really capture the dreariness that we’ve all seen so many times before in such a way, adding some much needed texture with the images displayed. Mickey Rourke does an excellent job here and is competent at projecting the character’s pain & emotion onto the big screen, no question. Marisa Tomei: she’s lovely and not only because she’s naked throughout most of the film. Well, okay, that had something to do with it and probably had a lot to do with why she got nominated for the role because honestly, I didn’t find her performance that engaging. Meh, maybe it was just that she was sharing most of her screen time with Mickey Rourke and it’s kinda hard to out shine that dude in this film.

Overall, the film was truly one of the best of the year and I would highly recommend it to anyone & everyone (be warned, it can get a little gruesome) as Aronofsky & company have truly crafted a heartfelt story here that it left me wanting to give a professional wrestler a hug and pat on the shoulder. Next time I see you, Ultimate Warrior: I owe you one!

4 Stars (out of 5)

5 comments

  1. I thought it was a bit predictable and “by the numbers”, but it’s just executed so damn well and Mickey Rourke’s performance really carries it and makes the film great.

  2. I agree with you entirely Bryan. I could sort of smell the next scene coming every few minutes, but it was just done so damned well, and Rouke was so damned good, I couldn’t really make myself care very much about any such shortcomings. Ridiculous job by just about everyone involved.

    Also, is it just me, or did one of the two midgets at the door in one sceen look JUST like a tiny Kevin Smith?

  3. @ Bryan: I can’t wait to discuss the ending on the next podcast, sir! SPOILER ALERT!

    @ Robert: Yeah, I remember the midget but I can’t remember him looking like Smith. Next time, I’ll keep an eye out for him.

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