The Wrestler (2008)

A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Writer:

Robert D. Siegel

Stars:

Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 55 wins & 47 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mickey Rourke	...	Randy 'The Ram' Robinson
Marisa Tomei	...	Cassidy
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Stephanie
Mark Margolis	...	Lenny
Todd Barry	...	Wayne
Wass Stevens	...	Nick Volpe
Judah Friedlander	...	Scott Brumberg
Ernest Miller	...	The Ayatollah
Dylan Keith Summers	...	Necro Butcher (as Dylan Summers)
Tommy Farra	...	Tommy Rotten
Mike Miller	...	Lex Lethal
Marcia Jean Kurtz	...	Admissions Desk Woman
John D'Leo	...	Adam
Ajay Naidu	...	Medic
Gregg Bello	...	JAPW Promoter Larry Cohen

Storyline

This is a drama about an aging professional wrestler, decades past his prime, who now barely gets by working small wrestling shows in VFW halls and as a part-time grocery store employee. As he faces health problems that may end his wrestling career for good he attempts to come to terms with his life outside the ring: by working full time at the grocery store, trying to reconcile with the daughter he abandoned in childhood and forming a closer bond with a stripper he has romantic feelings for. He struggles with his new life and an offer of a high-profile rematch with his 1980s arch-nemesis, The Ayatollah, which may be his ticket back to stardom.

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Plot Keywords:

wrestling | wrestler | supermarket | stripper | professional wrestler | 

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Taglines:

Love. Pain. Glory.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

14A

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [United States] Mars Distribution [France]

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le lutteur

Filming Locations:

1230 East Linden Avenue, Linden, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£802,046 (UK) (16 January 2009)

Gross:

$26,236,603 (USA) (8 May 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wild Bunch, Protozoa Pictures, Saturn Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer Afa Anoai ("The Wild Samoan") trained Mickey Rourke and choreographed the matches. His daughter, Vale Anoai, was given a brief role as a pharmacist.

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Goofs

When Randy wakes up in the hospital he is not on a ventilator machine and is breathing on his own (he is wearing a nasal cannula with oxygen); Yet as the camera pans out in the next scene it can clearly be seen that he has been intubated and is attached to a ventilator machine that is breathing for him.

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Quotes

Randy 'The Ram' Robinson: Hey, this is supposed to say 'Randy'.
Wayne: I guess personnel just got it off your W-4.
Randy 'The Ram' Robinson: WAYNE!... Do I gotta wear it?
Wayne: No... you're special.
Randy 'The Ram' Robinson: WAYNE!... Can they fix it?
Wayne: Just wear the fucking thing, ok?

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Connections

Referenced in Peep Show: The Affair (2009)

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Soundtracks

39 Stars
Written and Performed by Peter Walker
Courtesy of Dangerbird Records

User Reviews

Brutal, Honest, Touching film

The Wrestler is a drama centered around an aging professional wrestler past his prime. It's so much more than that. You don't have to be a fan of wrestling to enjoy this film. The wrestling part of it can be put aside as a back story. Randy "The Ram" could be in any other profession, doing any other thing and could be in the same situation. That's what's so great about it. He's just a lonely guy, whose life seems to have passed him by. A middle aged man who doesn't have much going for him. Sure, he's a wrestler, but he needs wrestling more than wrestling needs him. He needs it to feel important, to feel like a somebody. He really has nothing to show for himself, no wife, just a daughter he hasn't been there for his whole life. Missed opportunities. He's sad and alone and we really do feel for him.

A closer bond seems to be forming between him and his stripper friend, played by Marisa Tomei, who seems to be in a similar situation as he is. The middle aged stripper who seems to have a real connection with "The Ram" is shown in another misunderstood profession. We all may not be as different as we may think. Health problems compromise his wrestling career as he tries to deal with the real world and rebuild his relationship with his abandoned daughter. The scenes with Evan Rachel Wood (his daughter) are touching. Beautifully done. Rourke's character portrayal of the Ram is one of the best in a long time. He's not just acting, he transforms into the character on screen. It's amazing to watch. All the credit he's getting is truly deserved.

The film is Directed by Darren Aronofsky, who also directed Requiem for a Dream. He does a beautiful job showing the sport with realism. The film respects the wrestlers and their world, and expects the same from the audience. This film is done in a style that's so real, so honest, so amazing, in easily one of the best films of the year. All around great performances and great direction. Definitely worth checking out sometime.