The Wrestler (2008)
Sometimes a movie comes along and is all the hype and turns out to be better than it’s hype. I grew up watching Mickey Rourke
in movies and then suddenly he disappeared. A lot of people call this a come back or a resurrection of sorts. I really don’t think it can be labelled as that. What it is? Sometimes an artist goes through life and gets a little lost and they can’t get back in the saddle until they tell something like their own story in order to start telling somebody else’s stories. I think the reason this performance came off so seamless is that the actor (Mickey Rourke) had more than just imagination to grasp from. It’s a beautiful portrayal of a wrestler but it’s also the beautiful illustration of how life can go down an awful road and sometimes we know it’s not the right path but take it anyways. After watching it I can see why he won the Golden Globe, and I really do believe he deserved it.
Film’s are often about the transformation or coming to close of things. I think this film is more like life in that some things really can’t or don’t change because we won’t. This film taps into a part of people they don’t like to talk about or even won’t admit, and it does so in a very beautiful and empathetic way. The Wrestler is a movie that shows some times falling apart is the only way some of us know how to live. It’s a film about what’s broken, maybe what’s broken in all of us to varying degrees. A story about the lengths we go to in hurting ourselves some times just so we can feel alive. Some how with all the perfect that’s being put out on film it’s almost amazing that something so close to human could actually have made it so far on the award circuit. Nonetheless, I’m really satisfied that this film has done so well. It’s a great story telling–and in the end that’s what movie making is all about: telling great stories.
I recommend this film to anyone who’s feeling like life just isn’t going quite how they pictured it. Maybe this film can help you get back on your feet or help you understand someone in your life who can’t manage to get back on theirs.
Release Date: Thursday December 25, 2008 Genre: Action Running Time: 105 min. Director: Darren Aronofsky Cast: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Ernest Miller