The Wrestler
Rourke Shows the Studios he Can Act!
I went into The Wrestler knowing that I’d be seeing something genuinely unique and with a 98% on RottenTomatoes.com I had very high expectations. To say the least…
I was not let down at all. This is a prime example of casting choices carrying a film and between Tomei and Rourke I couldn’t think of anyone better. Thank god Aronofsky followed his intuition and fought for Rourke rather than signing Nicholas Cage which the studios were fervently pushing for.
Don’t get me wrong though, the story was extremely well written too and if you’re an Aronofsky fan as I am you’ll appreciate his use of character development to drive the plot (but if you know anything about him than you shouldn’t be expecting a happy ending). I loved how he connected two people who are at first glance completely wrong for each other, but when you start to think about the symbolism you see that an exotic dancer and a wrestler aren’t so different after all.
The film was primarily about the struggle to attempt to live a double life and the toll it can take on a person’s emotions. The overtones of what’s really important in life were strong as well and the film did a good job in contrasting a woman who does anything she can to protect her child with a man who has come to the realization that he’s had his priorities wrong all along and now it’s too late. It’s a story of regret and passion, love and loss, and the hardships of every day life which any person can relate to. The repetition in life and lack of mercy is enough to drive a man insane and to find happiness in such a world is no easy task. Rourke does a great job in showing his weakness to the camera, but not to anyone else in the film which causes the audience to feel his seclusion and regret.
I guarantee that you’ll fall in love with Mickey Rourke following this film, and he’s number one on my list for an Oscar. He trained for this part for months and worked beyond all the critics and studio heads who said he couldn’t carry an emotional role. He’s been kept in the “action closet” for years now and I’m glad to see his acting talent goes beyond beating people up…funny how a film called The Wrestler made me finally realize that.
[Rating: 4.5/5]
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