Review #6: In Theatres Now - The Wrestler

A month ago, my friend asked me, "have you heard about this little indie movie with Mickey Rourke about an underdog washed up wrestler?" "No -- is it any good?" "Yeah, it was great, he might even win an oscar for this." "Oh cool. I'll definately check it out. Who directs it?" "Darren Arnofsky."

At this point all I said was "Oh", and then we dropped the subject. Its not that I don't like Arnofsky's films because "Requim for a Dream" was distrubingly brilliant and "The Fountain" was visually stunning, but I knew that I was going to have to strap in for an intense emotional rollarcoster, and considering the last three films I had seen -- Muholland Dr., Eastern Promises, 21 Grams (all crazily coincidentally starring Naomi Watts, who weird is that?) -- and I really didn't want to go see another one of those kinds of movies.

This weekend, after being getting dozens of "Why haven't you seen it yet?" from all different people, I check it out. Talk about a comeback; this is a truely amazing one.

Mickey Rourke so naturally becomes this broken down Wrestler that has to figure out how to keep going once he finds out that due his heart (I know, a pretty cliche metaphor) he can no longer Wrestle. He tries to replace the love he recieved from fans with that of a stripper with a heart of gold (Marisa Tomei), and by rekindling his relationship with the daughter he abandoned years ago (Evan Rachel Wood). The way he wrestles (no pun intended) with trying to live a "normal" life is so moving and truely heart-breaking, you can't help but love this underdog that can't ever seem to make things right. All he does is exist in a somewhat broken life where he can never find his way. In a lot of ways, wrestling is a lot like acting: The film depicts it as being entirely staged, and the men are just actors in play, going onto the same stage every night, using their facial expression, body language, voice and some very disturbing props in these dramatic one acts.

You have to give it to Rourke, who truely deserved to win last night and is even better here than Sean Penn in "Milk". He also shares a lot in common with another brave haunting performance, Melissa Leo in "Frozen River": Both are simultaneously a force-of-nature you don't want to reckon with, and lost souls that desperately needs others in order to even go on.

The Verdict: Run, do not walk, to go see one of the best performances in years.

- Ari S.