DVD Review of The Wrestler

The critically acclaimed movie, The Wrestler, is moving from the big screen to the video store. Because the movie was hard to find in the theaters, this DVD will provide many people with their first opportunity to view the film. The movie lives up to the hype and Mickey Rourke deserved all the publicity he has received. Forgotten in the hype for his comeback is the Oscar-nominated performance put on by Marisa Tomei. If you didn't see the movie in the theaters, you should at least rent the movie.

When I posted my review of the movie a few months ago, I gave it a five-star rating. The DVD features the movie the same way it appeared at the movie. The disc does not contain any bonus or deleted scenes.

The Bonus Material
Within the Ring: This 43-minute featurette contains behind-the-scenes of the filming and the production of the movie. It is an entertaining featurette but it doesn't provide the details that a commentary track would have provided.

Bruce Springsteen Video: The Wrestler is a Golden Globe winning song by Bruce Springsteen that is featured at the end of the movie. The single is available on Bruce Springsteen's new album Working on a Dream but is not a part of the soundtrack for the movie.

Wrestler Roundtable: This feature is only available on the Blu-ray edition of the movie. The roundtable features Greg Valentine, Brutus Beefcake, Dallas Page, Lex Luger, and Roddy Piper discussing the parallels between their lives and Randy "The Ram". Luckily, you don't need to have a Blu-ray player to see this. The feature is currently available on-line at Foxsearchlight.com.