Wrestler (The)

Genre: psychological drama
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Release: 2008
Studio: Protozoa Pictures, Saturn Films, Wild Bunch – Fox Searchlight Pictures
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.0/10


Of Hammerlocks and Has-Beens


Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson (Mickey Rourke) sure looks bushed sitting in the locker room, his muscular body bent over and aching like that of an old man. He gave it his all in the ring that night but the wrestling card was thinly attended and his pay will hardly be worth the effort. Such is the fate of a former great athlete but Randy doesn’t mind… he still loves the sport. Rock on, brother! With Marisa Tomei (Cassidy), Evan Rachel Wood (Stephanie), Judah Friedlander (Scott Brumberg), Ajay Naidu (the medic), Wass Stevens (Nick Volpe) and Todd Barry (Wayne).

When you think about it, wrestling is a very peculiar line of work. You train hard most days and work most nights, travel incessantly, cope with injuries, abuse and humiliation, deal with risks of all kinds and put up with aggressive fans who take the sport much too seriously for their own good. Though it grants you the rarest of fringe benefits – a chance to smack your co-workers day in, day out – it comes with a downside that gets steeper and steeper as age creeps up on you and younger athletes rise in the ranks. Not that glamorous a life, eh?

Such is Randy Robinson’s predicament at the beginning of THE WRESTLER. His mind is still on fighting, his body increasingly resists it but, altogether, he is not yet ready to retire. Thus he finds himself in limbo, a weekend warrior clinging to past glory and unprepared for the big changes just around the corner. The first half-hour of THE WRESTLER depicts this side of Randy, his professional side, and you may find it boring if you’re not particularly attracted to combat sports. To its credit, this segment offers candid insights into today’s wrestling world, its quirks, tricks and outrageous use of clichés, its twisted humour and the sincere camaraderie shared by its practitioners. Later on, the film addresses Randy’s personal life which is undoubtedly more interesting. You’ll get to know the man behind the mauler and, though Randy is certainly coarse, he’s also a nice enough guy who leads a grim existence. Other than meeting a club dancer he’s particularly fond of, he is saddled with serious financial and personal problems that I should leave unexplained for now.

All of this is developed with outright competence by Darren Aronofsky and crew. THE WRESTLER boasts a fine cast led by Oscar-nominated Mickey Rourke who appears both endearing and intimidating as Randy. In the ring, he looks like a juggernaut; outside, with his raspy voice, hearing aid and glasses, he could be your next-door neighbour. Marisa Tomei delivers a gutsy performance as Cassidy and Evan Rachel Wood is utterly convincing (yet again) as Stephanie. Kudos should go to Robert Siegel for his finely structured and logical screenplay. The film’s cinematography and production values are also quite satisfying.

What more can I say? That THE WRESTLER is a treasurable sports film because it chooses realism over pompousness and honesty over corniness. In a way, it manages to transcend its subject matter to reach all among us who are growing old and who feel that society is turning its back on them. Aging is such a sad reality that you can’t blame Randy for dodging it as long as he can. Will it be steroids or Geritol?


MBiS

© 2010 – All rights reserved