The Wrestler
2 Oscar Nominations
Rent/Purchase
Aging wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson is long past his prime but still ready and rarin' to go on the pro-wrestling circuit. After a particularly brutal beating, however, Randy hangs up his tights, pursues a serious relationship with a long-in-the-tooth stripper, and tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter. But he can't resist the lure of the ring and readies himself for a comeback.
What critics thought
Mickey Rourke's performance is the undisputed center of the film's nearly universal critical enthusiasm, with reviewers treating it as a genuine career resurrection rather than a stunt. Aronofsky's stripped-down, almost documentary approach drew comparisons to European art cinema while remaining rooted in a specifically American milieu of faded glory and working-class desperation. Wrestling insiders were more divided — moved by its emotional truth but skeptical of its portrait of the business as an unrelenting path to ruin.
“Rourke's work transcends mere stunt-casting; his performance is a howl of pain that seems to come from a very real place.”
Alonso Duralde·MSNBC
“Rourke creates a galvanizing, humorous, deeply moving portrait that instantly takes its place among the great, iconic screen performances.”
Todd McCarthy·Variety
“Mickey Rourke's performance in The Wrestler is a continuous celebration of the burdens and splendors of the profession of performance.”
Le Monde
“Within five [minutes], I had completely forgotten I was looking at Mickey Rourke. That guy on the screen simply was Randy 'the Ram' Robinson.”
Mick Foley·Slate
Genres
Drama, Sport
Cast & Crew
DirectorDarren Aronofsky
StarringMickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry
ComposerClint Mansell
The Wrestler
2 Oscar Nominations
Aging wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson is long past his prime but still ready and rarin' to go on the pro-wrestling circuit. After a particularly brutal beating, however, Randy hangs up his tights, pursues a serious relationship with a long-in-the-tooth stripper, and tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter. But he can't resist the lure of the ring and readies himself for a comeback.
What critics thought
Mickey Rourke's performance is the undisputed center of the film's nearly universal critical enthusiasm, with reviewers treating it as a genuine career resurrection rather than a stunt. Aronofsky's stripped-down, almost documentary approach drew comparisons to European art cinema while remaining rooted in a specifically American milieu of faded glory and working-class desperation. Wrestling insiders were more divided — moved by its emotional truth but skeptical of its portrait of the business as an unrelenting path to ruin.
“Rourke's work transcends mere stunt-casting; his performance is a howl of pain that seems to come from a very real place.”
Alonso Duralde·MSNBC
“Rourke creates a galvanizing, humorous, deeply moving portrait that instantly takes its place among the great, iconic screen performances.”
Todd McCarthy·Variety
“Mickey Rourke's performance in The Wrestler is a continuous celebration of the burdens and splendors of the profession of performance.”
Le Monde
“Within five [minutes], I had completely forgotten I was looking at Mickey Rourke. That guy on the screen simply was Randy 'the Ram' Robinson.”
Mick Foley·Slate
Genres
Drama, Sport
Cast & Crew
DirectorDarren Aronofsky
StarringMickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry
ComposerClint Mansell
Rent/Purchase