Film Review: The Wrestler

I have never been a big fan of Darren Aronofsky. He doesn't make bad films, he just doesn't make great films that always seem to have something missing. Aronofsky has always been good with actors and always gets great performances from them. His films are always too stylized with weak stories. The Wrestler is the first film that I think Aronofsky got great acting and a strong story. I was not expecting much from The Wrestler and was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The movie is shot on super 16 with a documentary type style. This is probably why this is the best film he has ever made, he had to concentrate on the actors and the plot. The subject matter is something I am interested in, because I loved pro wrestling when I was a kid. The phenomenal Mickey Rourke plays a wrestler who is way past his prime and must deal with the fact that his body failing. Rourke is amazing as Randy"the Ram"Robinson and his performance is genuine. The acting and wrestling scenes are so real that at times it makes your stomach turn and you want to take a shower. The behind the scenes at the wrestling matches is fascinating and my favorite part of the film. Rourke's preparation for a match and his interaction with the other wrestlers is so realistic that you think you are watching a documentary. I enjoyed the scenes with his estranged daughter(Evan Rachel Wood), and even though they were typical the performances were so strong that you didn't mind. Marisa Tomei gives a good performance as a stripper who's life is parallel with Rourke's. That is the one problem I had with the film, Tomei is supposed to be a stripper way past her prime and she obviously isn't. She is too good looking and her body still looks like a twenty year old. She wouldn't be slumming with someone who looks like or is as poor as Rourke. Overall very enjoyable with the best performance of Mickey Rourke's career. 4 out of 5 stars