The Wrestler : review

Before I get into the review, first and foremost i have to thank my friend Kaushik, because of him, I got to watch this film in the first place.

Apart from the occasional wrestler(like Hulk Hogan) I never really cared for the whole wrestling thing, didn't even bother to know their names. I knew it was fake, and I couldn't believe why people watched it , when they could easily watch some other real full contact sport, if thats why they watched it. My logic was simply, these guys are staging something, its got up, make believe. I chalked them up as elaborate stunts,it never occurred to me what punishment these guys took to put on that show. Because lets face it,no matter how much you might "learn" to fall safely,there is always the probability that one mistake can be fatal, or can injure you. Your body might be able to take the punishment, but for how long? I say all this, simply because, being casually dismissive comes easily to me, and this second look, the slightly deeper thought about what torture these guys subject themselves to, was not a luxury granted to me by myself, but this film. Does that mean that I suddenly love this sport? Hardly, but this dichotomy of real/unreal in the world of wrestling, shown by this film made me sit up and take a second look, and that is just one of the achievements of this film.

The wrestler is a peek into the life of has been wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson,who is reduced to doing small time shows, barely making enough money to pay the rent for his trailer. Shot on 16mm, the camera work is almost entirely hand held,giving a very documentary like feel to this movie. Let me say outright,while the sports underdog genre movie has been done to death,this isn't a film like that. Randy isn't a Rocky. He isn't noble, neither is he an underdog. We see him at a point in his life, when he has burnt all his bridges, and is now stranded alone. When he was younger, the bright lights of fame probably blinded him, and being self absorbed and selfish,he didn't see what was more precious. The only semblance of a relationship he has is with a Stripper(Marisa Tomei, in a very good supporting performance), who he likes. Even his daughter wants nothing to do with him.

I really want to review this film without revealing much of the story, so let me get straight into what I loved about the film. The entire cast does a great job, but this film belongs to Mickey Rourke. Maybe its partially because his own past has such an uncanny resemblance to Randy's,that this role that could easily have been played as a tearjerker, or in a matter of fact tone, gets some hidden layers of quality. Now what exactly was in those layers I cant really tell, neither do I want to. But when Mickey is on screen, he demands to be seen, and seen again ( at least in this film). Speaking of layers, he added 30 pounds for this role, and he looks like a big walking piece of pulverized meat. I realize fully that others might not feel the same way, and ultimately cinema itself is a very subjective experience. While the film is about the life of a wrestler, it thankfully is more about his personal life than wrestling matches. And show his personal life it does, warts and all. Come to think of it, its almost all warts. I cannot really discuss the film any further because that would waste the experience for you guys,but once you see the final act of the film you will realize why I so surely said this isn't a ROCKY.

Kudos to Darren Arronofsky for making a wonderful film. Sadly his previous film , The Fountain wasn't that appreciated(which according to this reviewer was quite good). But what a comeback- in the form of the tragedy of a man too old to change his ways,who is only good at one thing.Some will argue that since Mickey's life so closely resembles the characters, it should obviously call for less acting talent than say portraying a role that would be a complete opposite to one's own nature. Not true- its not easy baring one's soul and showing yourself, naked and frail for a role. And on top of that it would be simplifying the character Randy too much. There are such subtle nuances in Mickey's portrayal, and in the script that it is bound to hit a raw nerve. The film has already won a number of awards, and I am being told that Sean Penn will win the Oscar for Milk this year, a film I have not seen, but personally,I know who I will be rooting for. Welcome back Mickey.