If Ya Smell What the Ram Is Cooking

Oh to be a wrestler.  Imagine the cheers and the women.  Imagine the arenas calling your name.  Imagine you are washed up, have a family that hates you, have done so many drugs your body is falling apart, find love in a stripper, and are on the verge of death.  Not such a pretty picture anymore, is it.  The Wrestler takes a gritty look at what happens when wrestlers get old.  While not a film that gives the viewer a fairy tale ending, it does provide drama and a well constructed narrative.

This film hinges on two things: the acting of Mickey Rourke and the nudity of Marisa Tomei.  I wish it was that but even in all her glory she looks like a washed up stripper (which means she acts very well).  The actual other thing is that the film is done in such a way that you are confronted with the story in a matter of fact kind of way.  If you don’t know the story yet (I’m sure quite a few of you do even if you haven’t seen it), it revolves around the end of Randy “The Ram” Robinson’s (Mickey Rourke) wrestling career.  He is wrestling in small arenas and living in a trailer.  Then his health goes and he is forced to confront his life and what he’s made of it.  This means trying to make amends with his daughter and trying to find love and possibly save Cassidy (Marisa Tomei).  Not everything goes to plan and we are left at the precipice of either a fanciful ending or a more realistic once.  Thankfully, Darren Aronofsky chooses the later.

For all that this film is, I’m having a hard time deciding on the acting; which is essentially the reason The Wrestler has gotten as much publicity as it has.  There is no denying that Mickey Rourke’s turn as Randy “The Ram” is a brilliant piece of acting.  I’m just not sure how much if it was actually acting.  In all seriousness, Rourke could have taken the easy road and created a parody of a wrestler rather than becoming a wrestler.  Being a wrestler is more than catchphrases and muscles, especially when your career is over.  While he may not be the most likable character, he is certainly one that will tear at your heart but at the same time you want to kick him in the nuts.  Perhaps that’s just good acting.

I was also impressed by Marisa Tomei’s portrayal of Cassidy, the end of her career stripper with a kid and heart of gold.  So she gets naked and dances a bit and becomes the stereotypical hooker with a heart of gold, but without that cliché; Randy “The Ram” is just not the same character.  We need the cliché to move past the cliché.  Of course I have no idea why it was necessary to have her nipples pierced.  Now on to the bad acting.  Stephanie Robinson (Evan Rachel Wood) is Randy’s estranged daughter and is marvelously over acted by Wood.  It was straight out of those after school specials or even worse, the kid down the street that just got a camcorder so you want to make a movie and you are forced to use your girlfriend for the lead role because she is hot but has no acting ability so you tell her to go with her feelings and she ends up becoming a raving emotional lunatic.  Or something like that.  Wood was decent in Thirteen, but playing that same character here makes no sense.  You really get the feeling that she has no middle ground and goes between soft and tender to neurosis.

Aside from the acting, the film stands on its own as a timely piece of fiction that serves as a benchmark and a reminder that what we see is not always what is going on.  With the recent deaths of many wrestlers, perhaps this piece works because it does not pull punches.  This is jut enhanced by the cinematography and editing which never let the glitz and glam overshadow the darkness.  That same darkness is necessary for the film to conclude in a manner that strays from the typical happy ending (of which I have never liked, except in Bring It On).  I need to ruin it a bit for you because by seeing this film, you are giving yourself up to the fact that your expectations will be let down if you for one minute think that a wrestler that has heart problems and has done many drugs is going to be okay in the end.

The Wrestler may be full of stereotypes and clichés, but they serve a purpose.  Think of this film as a character sketch where peripheral objects are only present to act upon the character and serve no other purpose.  It may not overwhelm many people, but it will make them take pause and reflect on their own lives.  Imagine you’ve gone from millions cheering your name to calling out a number in a deli.  Would you cut off your finger to spite your face?