THE WRESTLER

Rated:
Depressing but worthwhile
****

Director:
Darren Aronofsky

Writer:
Robert D. Siegel

Second on the list of my 2008 awards season recap is the interesting but depressing as hell bio-pic of a wrestler, directed rather simply by Darren "Pi" Aronofsky. This isn't really a bio-pic of any particular wrestler, but I call it a bio-pic because this underdog story and its downbeat ending can fit pretty much anyone who's tried and failed and tried again. Before I go any further, I promise not to ruin the ending. You can read on and expect only the highlights. However, whatever you as the reader infer is your fault.

Randy "The Ram" Robinson (played excellently by Golden Globe winner Mickey Rourke) is an aging wrestler who still throws down a couple of matches on the weekend while making ends meet at the local grocery store. He has a daughter, but they are severely estranged. His only form of human contact is a stripper named Cassidy (played very well by Marisa Tomei, who should be given credit for flaunting her assets without restraint). She likes him, but is hestitant of forming a relationship with a "customer".

After a brutal, knock-down, drag-out, bloody match, our hero suffers a massive heart attack due to the amount of performance enhancing drugs he pumps into his system and the wear and tear his body takes on a regular basis. The doctor advises him to quit wrestling and now Ram is faced with a new life, one he can't quite handle. But this new change allows him to build a relationship with Cassidy and forces him to find his daughter and try his best to repair the burned bridges.

The film is simple...almost too simple, to be great. The acting is wonderful, for course, but the story in the end is so unsatisfying that I hasten to call the film a masterpiece. I liked it, though, don't get me wrong, its just so very true to life that it becomes painful to watch. I think the film is definitely worth watching, however. My only complaint is that the story ultimately goes nowhere and the last ten minutes pretty much make the entire film pointless. We end up where we began, and yes Mickey does a phenomenal job of becoming a real, hurting individual (the story was probably too close to his real life), but in the end the journey was shorter and much more bitter than we as the audience hoped it would be.

VERDICT:

The almost opposite of a "ROCKY" movie, this film is a solid, powerful motion picture, but ultimately Aronofsky and company leave you feeling cold and alone. This isn't the most action-packed film, either, so don't watch this one tired.