Review of The Wrestler

There is a very dark side to the world of professional wrestling. In addition to the scary death problem that wrestlers from the '80s face and was covered by the mainstream media in the wake of the Benoit incident, there is also the story of the stars from the '80s that are barely able to eke out a tolerable existence. This movie fairly depicts what many of the wrestlers from that era face 20 years after their prime.

Mickey Rourke has been nominated for an Oscar his portrayal of Randy "The Ram" Robinson. In the '80s, Randy was a huge wrestling star. Twenty years later, the Ram is still wrestling. Only now, he is broke, estranged from his family, is in failing health, and forced to put his body through horrific stunts for chump change while trying to make a life for himself outside of wrestling.

Sadly, the story of Randy is one that is all too common for former wrestlers. While an outsider to the business might find the predicament Randy finds himself in kind of ridiculous, the truth is that Randy has it pretty good when compared to other wrestlers of that era. The character of Randy "The Ram" is based on Lex Luger, a former star that has served time in jail, had Miss Elizabeth die in his apartment, and is recovering from a stroke.

The wrestling scenes are well done and are an accurate description of some of the events that take place in the ring. The movie shows how the wrestlers communicate with each other and watch out for each other during a match. It also shows how the wrestlers make themselves bleed. There is one disturbing match in the movie. That movie depicts what happens in a niche style of wrestling referred to as ultraviolent death matches.

Mickey's training for the movie was overseen by Wild Samoan Afa and Mickey did actually wrestle in the matches. However, each match was shot twice with a wrestler named Kid USA doing Mickey Rourke's parts. What you see on the screen is a combination of the matches.

Mickey Rourke deserves his Oscar nomination. His portrayal of the Ram both inside and outside of the wrestling world is one of the finest acting jobs I have ever seen. He even makes the scenes featuring his mundane day job a highlight of the film. His first scene at the particular day job I am discussing was ad-libbed.

While Mickey Rourke has been getting all of the press, let's not forget that Marisa Tomei has also been nominated for an Oscar for her work in the movie. However, it is the dramatic scenes between Mickey and Evan Rachel Wood that steal the movie. If I have one complaint about the movie, it is that we don't see enough of her in the movie.

As far as the locker room scenes go, those are real wrestlers talking like real wrestlers do.

Whether you are a wrestling fan or not, this is a great movie that deserves all of the critical acclaim it has received. However, if you are a parent of a young wrestling fan, you might want to think twice before buying them a ticket to the film. The film is rated R for nudity and violence. Marissa Tomei works as a stripper and several scenes take place where she works. Some of the wrestling scenes are very graphic and portray scenes that they won't be exposed to while watching the WWE.