The Wrestler

Mickey Rourke excels as washed-up wrestler
WEEKENDER for June 12, 2009:

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Evan Rachel Wood and Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler ."

Slowly, I've made my way through this year’s best picture nominees.
I just hit “W” for “The Wrestler” and what a phenomenal picture!
Mickey Rourke contributes an unforgettable performance as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a famous wrestler in the 1980s who has fallen on hard times.
He was the stuff of legends in his day. There were The Ram action figures.
Today, he performs at little venues with much younger wrestlers-turned-actors. Seconds before they go on stage, they decide how it will be done.
It is invariably the same. Randy is beaten almost to an inch of his life. His face is bloodied, mostly because he whips out a razor-blade and slits his forehead. Somehow, he rallies and defeats the upstart young thud.
The crowd goes wild. The ring is covered in blood. All is well.
Except Randy's life is a mess. He is battered and beaten. His face looks like chopped meat, both before and after he fights.
He can't see anymore. His hearing is gone. He lives in a battered trailer park. He tries to make time with a stripper played by Marisa Tomei. His daughter, played by Evan Rachel Wood, hates him.
The battering he takes in the ring doesn't even cover the cost of the extensive line of painkillers and other drugs he buys. He also sells his autograph and charges to have his picture taken.
Oh yeah, he also works part-time at a grocery store, begging for extra hours, but not on weekends. Weekends are when he slits open his forehead.
There are many priceless scenes in this unforgettable movie, from the choreography of the wrestling to trying to make time with Tomei, whose character tries to convince herself while she is a stripper, she considers herself a mother first who wants to buy a condo. Messed-up, washed out, highly troubled wrestlers only add to her problems.
Rourke's character endures many indignities. After having a heart attack, he decides to end his wrestling career and reconnect with the daughter he has ignored for years. He also agrees to work weekend hours at the store. There the sadistic manager takes great pleasure in making him wear a hairnet over his long locks and sell half-pounds of honey-glazed ham to clueless old ladies. He also must wear a nametag with his real name on it, Robin Ramzinski.
I have two faults with the film. Wood doesn't have enough screen time and the film ends too soon. You want to know more about what happens to Randy next.
Rourke is exceptional. His character endures many indignities but retains a real eloquence.
If you are working your way through best picture nominees, don't stop before you get to “The Wrestler.” You will miss a real gem.

THE WRESTLER
• Directed by Darren Aronofsky
• Written by Robert D. Siegel
• Runtime: 111 minutes
• Rated R for violence, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use
• 5 stars out of 5