The Wrestler (2008)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Writer (WGA):

Robert D. Siegel (written by)

Release Date:

30 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Love. Pain. Glory.

Plot:

A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.

Plot Keywords:

Professional Wrestler | Wrestler | Wrestling | Stripper | 1980s

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 30 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Mickey Rourke	...	Randy 'The Ram' Robinson
Marisa Tomei	...	Cassidy
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Stephanie
Mark Margolis	...	Lenny
Todd Barry	...	Wayne
Wass Stevens	...	Nick Volpe
Judah Friedlander	...	Scott Brumberg
Ernest Miller	...	The Ayatollah
Dylan Keith Summers	...	Necro Butcher (as Dylan Summers)
Tommy Farra	...	Tommy Rotten
Mike Miller	...	Lex Lethal
Marcia Jean Kurtz	...	Admissions Desk Woman
John D'Leo	...	Adam
Ajay Naidu	...	Medic
Gregg Bello	...	JAPW Promoter Larry Cohen

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:16 | USA:R (certificate #44697) | Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA | Portugal:M/16 | Brazil:14 | Singapore:R21 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Argentina:16 | Germany:12 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | New Zealand:R16 | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-15 | Mexico:B15 | Denmark:15 | Austria:16 | France:U (with warning) | Iceland:14

Filming Locations:

1230 East Linden Avenue, Linden, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Wild Bunch

Trivia:

This movie, and Mickey Rourke's status as lead actor in it, was used in a story angle by the world's most well-known pro-wrestling company, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, previously known as the World Wrestling Federation or WWF). The story angle reached its climax at The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania (2009) (TV), where Rourke himself made an appearance at the event (not as a wrestler however).

Goofs:

Continuity: When the kids wake up Randy, he goes out of the van, the door closes without anyone closing it.

Quotes:

Randy 'The Ram' Robinson: I just want to tell you, I'm the one who was supposed to take care of everything. I'm the one who was supposed to make everything okay for everybody. It just didn't work out like that. And I left. I left you. You never did anything wrong. I used to try to forget about you. I used to try to pretend that you didn't exist, but I can't. You're my girl. You're my little girl. And now, I'm an old broken down piece of meat...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Neil Patrick Harris/Taylor Swift (#34.12)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

8-bit Wrestler

The Return of Mickey Rourke

Very rarely an artistic come back is so pointed, so truthful and/or so honest. Mickey Rourke is extraordinary here and I can assure you, he'll break your heart. "It's not over until you (pointing at the audience) tell me its over" Who was saying that? Mickey Rourke himself or his character? Both, I think both. I felt a chill run down my spine, the kind of chill you feel when confronted by an unvarnished truth. Darren Aronofsky is definitely someone to watch and to follow. His characters face limit situations and he finds torturous paths for them to travel. What makes the whole thing endurable is the unmistakable signs of self awareness. In "The Wrestler" the painful meeting between Ram and his daughter (played by Evan Rachel Wood) have the overwhelming weight of the truth without a hint of sentimentality. As we are approaching Oscar season I imagine already a fight to the finish between Sean Penn for "Milk" and Mickey Rourke for "The Wrestler" They both deserve the highest accolade. What a year!