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The Wrestler
Mickey Rourke, that Oscar should’ve been yours. One of the all time top performances of a sports character, whether real or fictional. Absolutely generational. But we’ll get to him in a minute. Aronofsky brings a heavy and hard hitting drama that encapsulates an aging soul embracing what it loves. There’s definitely times where the “aging athlete” plot is overused and cliche. Much like 2006’s ‘Rocky Balboa’, it captures a comeback story mixed with family drama, and does it in a really passionate and realistic way. I’ve never been a huge fan of wrestling (though my dad loves it), so it took me a minute to get into it. But once I did, I was locked in until the end, which was both fulfilling and satisfying. It’s a great character study of Randy “The Ram” Robinson, who isn’t real, but feels real. Kind of like how ‘The Brutalist’ is about a fictional man, but feels so much like a biopic, based on real events. Same for this. By the end, I almost believed that Randy actually lived and wrestled. Rourke’s performance is one of the best of the 2000’s, and will for sure stick with me for a while. The grittiness he brings is astounding, yet he’s still very human and very fragile. One of those hard shell, soft inside kind of characters. I love how simple he is in this. Rourke doesn’t have to go over the top, or sing, or dance to stand out. He just exists, and relates himself to the common man. It’s genius writing and a genius performance. Physically, and emotionally, he is The Ram. My last few thoughts are that the choreography seemed very authentic to how wrestling actually works, the film was visually grounded but still slightly elevated, and the soundtrack and score was killer. It’s a very strong and powerful film that can be enjoyed by anyone. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!
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