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This movie was the fucking bomb. Anyone who didn't like this was either too young, too old or too Sniper to identify with the generation Randy "the Ram" Robinson came from. I can't believe more people on this site haven't been talking it up. Aronofsky is the new Scorcsese. Sure if you tried hard enough you might be able to split hairs and pick some faults but I don't go the movies to do that.
Revision History (1 edits)
Takeshi - June 26th, 2009, 4:25am
I had to accomadate Sniper. AKA The King of Comedy. AKA Dorris Graham.
To be clear, I don't like wrestling today... I grew up in the 80's myself and anyone from that period will automatically know that wrestling today and wrestling then are not the same thing. Not because it was ever "REAL" but simply because it was just better. Better in everyway... You had characters. You had personality. You had gimmicks and feuds and these larger than life, super hero like, warriors doing battle in a theatric way each and every week... It, much like everything else from the 80's, will never be duplicated.
Music, Movies, even video games were all at their peak in the 80's... So it's no surprise I was drawn to this movie. This movie had so many scenes in it that were real. And I'm not talking about the matches or even the acting (although often brilliant)... I'm talking more about the situations. The characters. The story and confliction between everyone. It was them, the actors, taking us by the hand and leading us right into this incredibly seedy world, a lonely world, of a man past his prime and past the point of going back and making amends for the things he had done.
We feel sorry for him, not because he's a great guy... but because he's human. He fucked up. He made a lot of mistakes and I think that most would walk away with the impression he was a little more than selfish in his day.
All that, however, comes full circle some 20 years later in life when not only do we realize it, but so has he. He wants to atone for what he missed out on with his daughter and he wants so badly to have someone in his life. Someone who would care for him or about him. He was a lonely man... This, no more present, in the scene when he had gotten home from heart surgery and he's laying around the trailer, bored... He looks to his Nintendo. He goes outside and ask Adam
"Hey, Adam... Wanna play Nintendo?"
They then show the two booting up a primitive Nintendo game called "Wrestle Jam" ... This was a brilliant scene, probably the best in the entire movie. It showed us everything we needed to know about him as a person. He was dated. He was behind the times. He had little to nothing... and only after 1 short match with Adam we see, as cool as "THE RAM" is in theory to this kid. He's still a wash up and a lonely man with nothing.
A very powerful scene when you go back and look at how Mickey shakes the kids hand and the kid literally has to pry his hand out of his to leave. Not saying that Mickey was gonna hurt or harm him... Not at all. He simply didn't want him to leave just yet.
An emotional scene to say the least.
I think, if anything, Evan Rachale Wood was the weak link... She played the part alright, but there just wasn't enough there for me to get behind her cause. He's making an effort and trying and she's just being too swift in her actions. I also didn't care for the fact he missed 1 meeting, came some 3 hours later, and that... That alone was the final straw?? No... I think she should've heard him out a bit more. At very least he should've lied in the end but he didnt'... Showing us, he has grown, she has not.
The stripper scenes were very much needed. It was his second home for all intense and purposes. Marisa did a bang up job at that. She might be 40 something, but she still has a body...
In the end... Everything in this movie worked. Sean Penn is a great, versatile actor to be sure but Mickey deserved the Oscar here. He was given the opportunity to shine with this script/story and he gave the performance of a life time. He's come an incredibly long way since the first movie I could ever remember him in "FADE TO BLACK" and I hope he continues his journey.
It's very hard or "Tough" guys to come across as compassionate beings... And only 1 other "tough" guy actor has ever made me emotional or struck a nerve inside me and that was Sylvester Stallone... If I could meet anyone in Hollywood and actually sit down with them, He'd be the one. He's a brilliant writer & a brilliant, highly under estimated, actor. I love the guy... Mickey Rourke came as close as anyone ever has in giving me the same feeling on screen.
In the end... Everything in this movie worked. Sean Penn is a great, versatile actor to be sure but Mickey deserved the Oscar here. He was given the opportunity to shine with this script/story and he gave the performance of a life time.
Have to agree. I saw this a few days ago and it's still buzzing around in my head. There's very little new here, in the way of plot at least, but somehow they managed it make it seem all completely fresh. Rourke is fantastic in this movie. The rest of the cast are faultless but Rourke shines. I love a film that just makes you completely forget you're watching actors saying words by a writer. From the go I was hooked. Great film.
I think Penn deserved it more, No doubt Rourke did great but Penn was unbelievably amazing.
He was good and it was a fine film. But think of it in ten years from now. The Wrestler will be talked of as the performance of Rourke's career. He's done some rubbish in his time but he's also done some truly great stuff. Either way they're both great movies. Oscars are a bit hit and miss for me.
I can go along with that idea, Aronofsky's a hell of a director.
But think of it in ten years from now. The Wrestler will be talked of as the performance of Rourke's career.
Scorsese will ALWAYS reign as Scorsese. Aronofsky's a fine director, but still.
Yes they will talk about it in ten years, I can see that. But maybe they'll talk about Milk too.
I agree with the thing you said about the Oscars. I might get totally blasted for this, but: Slumdog was a really good film, but overrated and I think some other stuff deserved best pic
Isle 10- A series I'm currently writing with my friend Adam and it will go into production soon. Think The Office meets 10 Items or Less.
I agree about Slumdog, and I like a lot of Boyle's films. Problem for me was It took about five minutes to realise the plot and then there a few surprises, but not many.
Maybe they'll talk about Milk in ten years, somehow I doubt it.
Anyways back on topic. The Wrestler's one of those few films where you actually want it to go on longer than it did. It's been a while since I saw one of those.