The Wrestler - film review

Wrestling fans are used to being ridiculed for their love of the sport, with non-fans being very keen to remind them that ‘it’s fake’. Media coverage of wrestling is usually negative or ridiculous, such as David Arquette’s character riding a motorbike through a cage door and into a ring in the 2000 film “Ready to Rumble”, and doesn’t show the risks these guys take when they step in the ring in order to make a living.

I expected that this film would be just the same, but as the day of the première of the film approached, I kept reading that it was tipped for Oscar & Bafta nominations, so I began to take more of an interest in it. Every sport has its own film which puts it in a serious light; Football has “Goal”, American football has “Friday Night Lights”, Basketball has “Coach Carter”, Boxing has “Rocky”, etc. Wrestling didn't have a serious film to reflect the industry, which is what wrestling fans wanted and needed. The Wrestler answered our prayers

Mickey Rourke plays Randy “The Ram” Robinson who was once a wrestling icon, wrestling in front of crowds of 70,000 and being seen in millions of homes across America. Now, some 20 years later, Randy has gone from wrestling for high capacity crowds to working in a gymnasium in front of a crowd of a hundred or less. His daughter hates him; he lives in a trailer park, barely able to pay rent and works in a supermarket. When Randy has a heart attack following a match he questions whether he should step away from the industry, settle down and patch his life together but it’s hard to leave a life he has followed for over 20 years.

The Wrestler is a proper reflection of what life really is like for professional wrestlers. Most of these guys’ lives are plagued with injuries, drugs and feuds, all of which are addressed in the film. Randy works for very little money on the independent wrestling scene rather than for a high profile organisation. This is the place where many wrestlers get their careers going and also where some legends, like Randy, end up. Sadly this represents reality for many professionals in the real world. It’s also why I firmly believe that this film is really good, because it not set in the glamorous lights of big organisations but instead in the gritty underground of the independent scene, where you can’t rely on huge salaries, media coverage and having your career managed for you.

The first time I heard Rourke was playing the role of Randy, I didn't believe he would be able to portray the life of a professional wrestler well enough. I thought it would be more beneficial to the film to have an actual wrestler portray Randy, with experience and knowledge of how to work the ring and the crowd, sell a move, etc. However by the end of the film you really felt for the Randy’s character; Rourke definitely pulled off the performance of a lifetime and deserved the Oscar nomination he got but unfortunately didn’t win.

I also like the performance of Evan Rachel Wood, who portrays Randy's daughter. Many wrestlers do have family feuds, so it's good that this is reflected upon in the movie as well. I felt she gave a really good performance as a daughter disgusted with her father, notably during their walk on the pier and also the scene where Randy goes to her house to apologise for missing dinner with her but she won’t forgive him.

Darren Aronofsky has done a great job working on a small budget, which was because no one believed that Mickey Rourke would stay with the film and it would be impossible to work with him. But credit where credit is due, both Rourke and Aronofsky did a good job working on the film together. The fact it’s made for little money means that it is set to look more real, kind of like a gritty style documentary. The camera shots in the film are always following the action and characters, e.g. walking through corridors, supermarkets, etc and never divert away.

This movie gives a great insight into how the wrestling business works and what the stars who entertain us go through during their lives. So if you’re a professional wrestling fan, the next time someone mocks you for your love of the sport don’t try to defend it yourself; just simply put The Wrestler DVD into their hands and walk off.

A hard-hitting, heart warming, gut wrenching, powerful piece of film-making filled with phenomenal performances that really put professional wrestling back in the serious spotlight.

5/5