I've told this story many many times, but I was literally raised on professional wrestling. It's no exaggeration when I say that my earliest TV watching memories were of the Mulkeys getting slammed around the ring by the Road Warriors. There was no Sesame Street or Electric Company, there was WWE All-American and NWA Saturday Night. So you can imagine how much I anticipated catching Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler last night. I wasn't disappointed. He's created what has to be the most realistic, gripping portrayal of the life of any professional entertainer/athlete in recent memory. If Mickey Rourke doesn't receive atleast a nomination for his groundbreaking portrayal of "Ram" Robinson, it'll be a travesty.
Ram used to be one of the most popular wrestlers of the 80's, akin to a Hulk Hogan or a Ric Flair. But now, way past his prime he finds himself still latching on to the spotlight in any way he knows how. He's down and out, destitute, living in a trailer park with little or nothing to show for all his years of blood, sweat, and tears. He performs in tiny independent shows on the weekends, forming a bond with the up 'n coming wrestlers who remind him of himself. Like most wrestlers of his age, Ram has been slowly killing himself with steroids and pain killers in order to keep up with the youngsters of his profession, and finally one day it all catches up to him in devastating fashion. Realizing how truly alone he is, Ram decides to reach out to his estranged daughter, played by Evan Rachel Wood. He also attempts a relationship with Cassidy, a middle aged stripper who's life path mirrors Ram's own, played beautifully by Marisa Tomei in a fierce performance. Ram is given the opportunity to relive his greatest match ever in a historic event a few months down the road. But he has to decide whether or not to move on with his life, forging something new with the people he loves and who love him, or risk literally everything for one more shot at the spotlight.
Ram Robinson perfectly exemplifies the conundrum many famous performers face, and that is when to quit. When is enough enough? It's no different for a professional wrestler than it is for say, Bret Favre. The difference being that most wrestlers of a certain era, such as in Ram's, weren't making the multi-million dollar contracts. Their bodies are broken down to the point where they are all but useless to do anything but wrestle. And unlike other stars, wrestlers often find themselves on the road 250 days out of the year just to make a living, thus alienating their friends and their family. One of the things the movie gets dead on perfect is it's portrayal of the comraderie amongst this band of brothers. These willing few who put their bodies and lives in the trusting hands of the guy next to him. They know eachother's pain intimately, and this film doesn't shy away in showing just how blood and brutal the world of professional wrestling is. Not how it can be, but how it IS every single night. Anyone who's been backstage at one of these little house shows, packed with a couple hundred people screaming at your every move, will recognize just how authentic this movie is.
I couldn't help but chuckle every time some little known wrestling jargon was uttered by Ram or any of the numerous other actual wrestlers on screen. I was amazed at just how real Ram's matches seemed, particularly his Hardcore matchup with Necro Butcher which called to memory some of the greatest ECW matches in history. In fact, I got so caught up in it that I started to wonder whether or not Mickey Rourke and Necro were actually hurting eachother, whether or not their fight was real, which is ironic considering that wrestling is in itself not real. But ask anybody who knows and you'll see that it's far more real than people give it credit for being. I can only imagine how grueling Rourke's training at the hands of Afa the Wild Samoan must've been, and I can't help but wonder how this movie would've been if Nick Cage had remained in the lead role. Would he have had the physicality, the grimness that Rourke brought to the table? I don't think so.
In a Q & A that followed the film, Darren Aronofsky made it a point to mention that he always wanted Mickey Rourke in the lead for this film. He made the right choice. Rourke, who at one time was meant to be the next big thing, quickly faded from obscurity as his own personal demons took over his life. In many ways his career trajectory is very similar to Ram's, and much like how Ram is trying to make one more grab for the brass ring Rourke is in the midst of a career renaissance. Marisa Tomei puts forth the grittiest performance of her career. But this is Rourke's film. Period. I now understand why so many professional wrestlers have been touting his performance, because it so encapsulates their own lives. Hopefully others will now begin to see Rourke for the actor he is right now, and not what he once was or could've been.
9/10
