THE WRESTLER
dir: Darren Aronofsky
"In this life you can lose everything you love, everything that loves you. A lot of people told me that I'd never wrestle again, the only one that's gonna tell me when I'm through doing my thing, is you people here." - Randy "The Ram" Robinson
Brief Synopsis
A professional wrestler far past his prime attempts a comeback while struggling with his age, health, and deteriorating relationships in his life outside the ring.
Why It's Here
Ten years, and now four feature films later, Darren Aronofsky has become one of the most distinguishable and influential directors in the business. His secret is all in his style, each of Aronofsky's films are distinctly different, shifting and changing with the director and the subject matter. From his early indie days with the black & white Lynch-inspired "Pi" to his special effects bomb "The Fountain", Aronofsky has seemed to have found a new, but comfortable position with "The Wrestler" where his education in filmmaking is able to pay off. Largely improvised, supporting by a large cast of non-professional actors and using a majority of handheld shots, the film has a small, intimate feel to it which compliments the subject nicely. Aronofsky is challenged by the fact that wrestling is commonly regarded as low-brow entertainment, so how is he expected to make the audience care? The direction is a compassionate character piece, yet, it also shines a light on the audience who comes to these events. It doesn't disrespect them by filling the crowds with trailer trash (despite Randy himself living in a trailer park), instead it shows an audience who are just as aware by how artificial the act is as the wrestlers, yet they are there for the thrill of the show and for the spectacle of these beat upon has-been's who were likely childhood heroes or legends to them. There is a passion in the audience which makes for a powerful driving force for the character Randy.
While this small-scale wrestling circuit seen through the film is more vicious and violent than mainstream wrestling, it is still an act as clearly depicting on screen, yet the audience demands a certain realism, the crowd has a bloodlust and a thrill to see the fighters engage in what might be staged, but still painful and raw. Despite risking his health and scarring himself, Robinson opts to continue wrestling because despite the audience expectation that he take barbwire in the back, the people come to see him because of their admiration for him. In the ring, Randy is king of the world, he is special and significant with an audience that adores him, whereas outside of the ring, he is a nobody, not even his own daughter will speak with him. This is where "The Wrestler" defines itself with the question of whether or not it's worth it to risk health for personal satisfaction and glory or to settle down and accept that age demands you change how you live. It is a testament against time, the greatest enemy to anyone, and dares to challenge it's power to force people to cease living.
Mickey Rourke's performance has been hailed by critics and with good reason, Rourke becomes the character because he essentially is the character. An actor who once faced a superstar career in Hollywood plummeted to obscurity, only to be resurrected years later by an independent character drama. In the film, Randy "The Ram" Robinson is a wrestler who enjoyed his success while he had it, but when the film begins, we see him years later where his battle wounds are more apparent and his age is slowing him down. The world has moved on, and Randy is now entertaining the small group of loyal fans gathering at school gymnasiums and small events. Like Robinson, Rourke continued on with his career in lower profile, surely realizing his dream has come and gone, and wondering if there is anything left to do about it. The parallels between Rourke and the character not only make his performance truthful, they make it so honest it's almost as if he isn't even acting at all.
Rourke's understanding for the role allowed him to improvise many scenes such as the seemingly unnecessary deli scenes where Randy pays the bills by serving in a grocery store deli section. However, while these scenes seem disconnected from the rest of the story, they offer a necessary boost of spirit in the otherwise dimly mooded film, where Rourke is able to explore his character beyond his passion for wrestling and his struggling associations with others.
To make a brash comparison, in some ways, "The Wrestler" is much like "Rocky Balboa", Stallone's surprisingly earnest comeback film. Like "Balboa", this film questions the constraints of age. Randy only knows one way of life, that which is inside the ring, and he wonders if he can truly change to make his regular life better and save his relationship with his daughter. Yet, he is an old dog, and it's tough to break old habits, so Randy finds it difficult to leave a life of importance behind. Unlike "Balboa" which made aging seem like a mental insecurity, "The Wrestler" is much more realistic and unforgiving. Randy's situation is serious and life threatening if he returns to the ring, it's not just a matter of will-power, which adds a level of risk and vulnerability to this film that "Rocky" never had.
Initially, I was skeptical of the character Marisa Tomei plays, a stripper with a heart of gold. It's been seen too many times before where the character you expect to be sleazy is really the hard working mom that means well. Indeed, this cliche is living strong in this film, yet what makes it work is the theme that is shared with Rourke's character about the battle against age. Both strippers and wrestlers are in a position where their income and success relies on their bodies and their charisma, and when their age begins to break this down, it becomes an increasing struggle to continue and make ends meet. The two characters are very different in their personal lives, but professionally share the same constraints and are able to connect. The fear of growing old is something everyone struggles with sooner or later, which makes this film universal, despite it's seemingly polarizing premise.
While this small-scale wrestling circuit seen through the film is more vicious and violent than mainstream wrestling, it is still an act as clearly depicting on screen, yet the audience demands a certain realism, the crowd has a bloodlust and a thrill to see the fighters engage in what might be staged, but still painful and raw. Despite risking his health and scarring himself, Robinson opts to continue wrestling because despite the audience expectation that he take barbwire in the back, the people come to see him because of their admiration for him. In the ring, Randy is king of the world, he is special and significant with an audience that adores him, whereas outside of the ring, he is a nobody, not even his own daughter will speak with him. This is where "The Wrestler" defines itself with the question of whether or not it's worth it to risk health for personal satisfaction and glory or to settle down and accept that age demands you change how you live. It is a testament against time, the greatest enemy to anyone, and dares to challenge it's power to force people to cease living.
Mickey Rourke's performance has been hailed by critics and with good reason, Rourke becomes the character because he essentially is the character. An actor who once faced a superstar career in Hollywood plummeted to obscurity, only to be resurrected years later by an independent character drama. In the film, Randy "The Ram" Robinson is a wrestler who enjoyed his success while he had it, but when the film begins, we see him years later where his battle wounds are more apparent and his age is slowing him down. The world has moved on, and Randy is now entertaining the small group of loyal fans gathering at school gymnasiums and small events. Like Robinson, Rourke continued on with his career in lower profile, surely realizing his dream has come and gone, and wondering if there is anything left to do about it. The parallels between Rourke and the character not only make his performance truthful, they make it so honest it's almost as if he isn't even acting at all.
Rourke's understanding for the role allowed him to improvise many scenes such as the seemingly unnecessary deli scenes where Randy pays the bills by serving in a grocery store deli section. However, while these scenes seem disconnected from the rest of the story, they offer a necessary boost of spirit in the otherwise dimly mooded film, where Rourke is able to explore his character beyond his passion for wrestling and his struggling associations with others.
To make a brash comparison, in some ways, "The Wrestler" is much like "Rocky Balboa", Stallone's surprisingly earnest comeback film. Like "Balboa", this film questions the constraints of age. Randy only knows one way of life, that which is inside the ring, and he wonders if he can truly change to make his regular life better and save his relationship with his daughter. Yet, he is an old dog, and it's tough to break old habits, so Randy finds it difficult to leave a life of importance behind. Unlike "Balboa" which made aging seem like a mental insecurity, "The Wrestler" is much more realistic and unforgiving. Randy's situation is serious and life threatening if he returns to the ring, it's not just a matter of will-power, which adds a level of risk and vulnerability to this film that "Rocky" never had.
Initially, I was skeptical of the character Marisa Tomei plays, a stripper with a heart of gold. It's been seen too many times before where the character you expect to be sleazy is really the hard working mom that means well. Indeed, this cliche is living strong in this film, yet what makes it work is the theme that is shared with Rourke's character about the battle against age. Both strippers and wrestlers are in a position where their income and success relies on their bodies and their charisma, and when their age begins to break this down, it becomes an increasing struggle to continue and make ends meet. The two characters are very different in their personal lives, but professionally share the same constraints and are able to connect. The fear of growing old is something everyone struggles with sooner or later, which makes this film universal, despite it's seemingly polarizing premise.