Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Wrestler
To the best of my knowledge, there isn’t a movie out there that deals with the industry of professional wrestling with any sort of heart. The media overall isn’t a fan of the wrestling business, as the stereotypical fan resides in a trailer park, eating a bucket of fried chicken while wearing a beer-stained wife beater. As such, the performers no doubt are cut from the same ilk, right? Not really. I’ve known this for a long time, but I’m glad a film has finally come out about wrestling that first off, is good, and second, shows the emotional and physical trauma a pro wrestler goes through. In other words, that they’re human, too.
Mickey Rourke has gotten a lot of attention for The Wrestler, topped by his Golden Globe win for best actor which all but assures he gets at least a nomination at this year’s Academy Awards, and personally I hope he takes the Oscar home. I respect a performer, even when the film fails, who will do anything to make his character come across as more authentic. Rourke did his homework, getting proper wrestling training to perform his own acrobatic moves in the ring and worked a strict exercise regime to get the build of a pro wrestler. He also toured with independent regular Necro Butcher to understand the goings-on in the locker room before, during and after the matches. As someone who is well versed in the goings-on in the wrestling world, this film portrays the business in an authentic way which adds to the realism Rourke’s character Randy the Ram endures in his daily life.
Randy the Ram is a former 1980s icon who, like many former wrestling stars, failed to save his money while earning the big dollars during their career peaks, partied too much, neglected his family, and is yearning to get one more crack at the big time before they have to hang it up for good. Of course, the beat-down condition he’s in is completely ignored as he shouldn’t be performing in the first place, and while many performers have virtually no chance to resurrect their careers at the WWE level, they still have an addiction to the limelight that can only be soothed by performing in auditoriums and school gyms in front of small crowds of a few hundred people. Simply put, they can’t let go.
The cost of this “stardom” is usually placed squarely on the family, and it is here where the film falters a little bit. Randy seems sincere when he tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter, and without giving too much away, manages to earn another chance. But there are too many questions left unanswered (i.e. what happened to mom?) and the whole father-daughter conflict the films tries to portray felt too rushed to really buy the resolution the story hands to the audience. I would have also liked to have Randy in a few more scenes with his crush, a stripper named Cassidy (Marisei Tomei). I really bought into the idea these two damaged souls could connect and be together. But, I thought the movie did not give enough screen time with the two of them. (On reflection, maybe that’s what the movie was trying to say: Randy’s chosen career path doesn’t allow any chance for him to spend enough time with those he loved).
The violence and brutality in the wrestling ring, combined with the drug use and pain killers taken by the performers, hammers home the hardship of being able to wrestle while having the proper look to get over with the crowd. It might seem a little over the top, but I bought into it. As I've mentioned before in my blog, the list of pre-mature deaths of past and current wrestling stars is much too long and this film definitely offers a strong opinion as to why.
Randy the Ram is a former 1980s icon who, like many former wrestling stars, failed to save his money while earning the big dollars during their career peaks, partied too much, neglected his family, and is yearning to get one more crack at the big time before they have to hang it up for good. Of course, the beat-down condition he’s in is completely ignored as he shouldn’t be performing in the first place, and while many performers have virtually no chance to resurrect their careers at the WWE level, they still have an addiction to the limelight that can only be soothed by performing in auditoriums and school gyms in front of small crowds of a few hundred people. Simply put, they can’t let go.
The cost of this “stardom” is usually placed squarely on the family, and it is here where the film falters a little bit. Randy seems sincere when he tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter, and without giving too much away, manages to earn another chance. But there are too many questions left unanswered (i.e. what happened to mom?) and the whole father-daughter conflict the films tries to portray felt too rushed to really buy the resolution the story hands to the audience. I would have also liked to have Randy in a few more scenes with his crush, a stripper named Cassidy (Marisei Tomei). I really bought into the idea these two damaged souls could connect and be together. But, I thought the movie did not give enough screen time with the two of them. (On reflection, maybe that’s what the movie was trying to say: Randy’s chosen career path doesn’t allow any chance for him to spend enough time with those he loved).
The violence and brutality in the wrestling ring, combined with the drug use and pain killers taken by the performers, hammers home the hardship of being able to wrestle while having the proper look to get over with the crowd. It might seem a little over the top, but I bought into it. As I've mentioned before in my blog, the list of pre-mature deaths of past and current wrestling stars is much too long and this film definitely offers a strong opinion as to why.
I have some minor quibbles with The Wrestler, but these complaints are minor. This movie is one of the best of 2008, a great character study of a person in a world that desperately needs intervention to ensure the health and safety of its performers.
(On a side note that tragically demonstrates the state of pro wrestling, a regular indy wrestler and extra for The Wrestler, Paul E. Normus, died last week of unknown causes. He was only 33 years old.)
(On a side note that tragically demonstrates the state of pro wrestling, a regular indy wrestler and extra for The Wrestler, Paul E. Normus, died last week of unknown causes. He was only 33 years old.)
# posted by SBP : 4:32 PM
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