The Wrestler

This highly recommended movie started of a a little different. It appeared at first to be shot without the aid of a light bulb. (Or any lighting for that matter). It also seemed to be filmed as if it were shot by a stalker. You know the type, some creepy, ugly, fat girl who is obsessed with an aging wrestler who saw his peek twenty years or one score ago. At first it did not score any points with me, instead it left me in the dark. The film got remarkably better when you actually saw the titular character from the front. He wasn’t pretty mind you but anything beat his heavily rippled much aged back muscles. The music in the beginning painted a dark, sad, and depressing story the rest of the movie kept to that theme. The wrestler mentioned in the title is struggling to make ends meat. His is lonely and down oh his luck and when his world seems to come to a potential changing point he must decide on which route to proceed. The familiar one or does he take Robert Frost’s advice and trek down “the road less traveled.” This one hour and forty five minute feature is well written and superbly acted. Mickey Rourke is excellent as Randy ‘ The Ram’ Robinson. I totally believed him in his part and felt sympathy for him in his time off potential loss. What did not fill me with any kind of loss mind you (potential or otherwise.) was the scene stealing performance by both his love interest (Marisa Tomei) and his estranged daughter, played to perfection by Even Rachael Wood. There is not dry eye in the house when this movie comes to an end and best of al it leaves you hanging .(or at least up in mid air) I recommend this movie if you have time to mull it over and then take the rest of the day off. You’ll need at after this thought provoking film. Grade B+