THE WRESTLER Or: Give Mickey Rourke The Oscar!!!

Only but a few actors get the holy anointed Role Of A Lifetime. Where the character melds into the body, the heart, and the soul of the person bringing it to life. Where every thought and feeling is both the character's and the actor's, in a harmonic symbiosis. It's a beautiful thing, but it's rare. Sure, there may be any number of great acting performances in any given year, but what I'm talking about only comes around about once every third time that blue moon shows its face.

With THE WRESTLER, Mickey Rourke has found that Role. As Randy "The Ram" Robinson, he takes what is essentially one of the biggest cliches in the book (Aging athlete after all the good times have dried up) and fuses it into every facet of his being. His own soul is actually feeding into the character itself. This is not mere "acting" but goes further. This is a spiritual experience where all that makes up "Mickey Rourke" breaks apart into tiny particles, reassembled together as, simply, "Ram."

I am aware that the last two paragraphs are perhaps building up an expectation in your mind that will probably never be met. But believe me when I say that Mickey Rourke has always been a favorite; consistently the most interesting and most wacked-out actor in the room. With this movie, he fulfills every bit of potential he has ever had. If he were to retire after this movie, I would be completely satisfied.

But he won't.

The movie is about a man who refuses to quit, who refuses to step out of the ring where his life is placed. Cliched, predictable, even hokey? Yes. Darren Aronofsky knows all of that and delves deeper and deeper into every facet of the story. After the slight disappointment of THE FOUNTAIN, Aronofsky has bounced back with a glorious "wrasslin' picture" that goes beyond its B-Movie roots. This is true greatness.

Since this is Rourke's movie from start-to-finish, it is possible to glean that the other actors will almost certainly be overlooked. But they won't because everyone is working at the top of their game. Marisa Tomei creates the perfect stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold girlfriend (Another cliche that rises above cliche), breaking your heart in every scene. Evan Rachel Wood finally appears in a good movie, atoning for her sins in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. Then there is the atmosphere of the wrestling matches themselves which are brutal and intense. Aronofsky's rendering of the wrestling scenes are some of the best sports footage that I've seen in a movie in years.

But all eyes, deservedly, are on Mickey. After years down-on-his-luck appearing in terrible film after terrible film. After years of toiling in small quickie roles for the big paychecks. After years of burnt bridges and ruined relationships. With this Role of a Lifetime, he has delivered. He has given the Performance of a Lifetime.

In his defense, his review is pretty much a perfect summation of my feelings about the film.

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He had lines to learn, marks to hit, as well as a LOT of "physical" acting. So it definately is more than just himself he's playing. HOWever, I found myself hardpressed to think of anyone else who could have done this role certainly from a physique pov. Terence Stamp or Bill Nighy have appropriately ravaged faces but not the body and that's a big part of this film- a body that's giving out from all the abuse it's had.
Marisa Tomei was wondeful as a rapidly aging stripper aware that her time is running out as well. Rachel Wood was channelling EVERY child who's had a dead beat dad that's burned them once too often.
I found the film eloquent in its dis-articulation.

Updated On: 1/13/09 at 07:57 PM

I can't wait to see this.

My kids and I saw Slumdog and The Wrestler yesterday. Both were excellent movies. Mickey Rourke is going to be hard to beat. He did an excellent job! Marisa Tomei was also excellent. This is the first time we have taken in two movies on the same day and boy did we pick 2 great ones!

Enjoyed Rourke but I was completely letdown by 'The Wrestler.' I don't think Aronfsky really understands the business and while he shows a fallen idol; he doesn't seem to understand that his 'legend coming back for one big match' would work well if we were talking about a real sport but rings completely hollow when talking about wrestling. We all know The Ram's insistence on getting back in the ring will prove fatal and really shows how pathetic a character (and man) he actually is, yet Aronofsky tries to infuse it with a phony rah-rah speech to the fans in the arena.

Sadly, Aronofsky didn't seem to understand the subtext even he was putting in the film. He's RIGHT in suggesting that wrestlers and strippers are on the same wavelength and he's right to point out that most people are only interested in them when they're at their physical peak and even then it's in a completely superficial and self-serving way.

Why then, would Aronofsky essentially make a movie about a fifty year-old stripper and end the movie with her doing one last dance on the pole?

'The Wrestler' is a HUGE missed opportunity.

He's such an underrated actor too. I loved him in RUMBLE FISH, SPUN, and SIN CITY