The Wrestler

The Wrestler is an unobtrusive indie work. It is simple, clear and clean, and relies on only one thing – Mickey Rourke. Darren Aronofsky is aware that everything else is just Rourke’s surroundings, so he paves the way for him without much interferences or original screenwriting ideas (we’ve seen it all before), comfortably riding on his character’s shoulders. And the whole crew sleeps in Randy’s caravan because no one would give them a normal budget for this. A nice, modest film that could have been excellent as a featurette. (2009-02-10)

A devastating and really depressing drama. I think most of us somehow unconsciously realizes that the life of a professional wrestler is no rose garden, but Aronofsky takes this to extremes and allows “The Ram" fall from the top right to the very bottom, and then some. And thanks to the excellent Mickey Rourke this comes across more intensely than is healthy. Man, in some places even I felt a bit bad. So imagine how Randy must have felt? (2009-02-23)

In the end, I liked The Wrestler more than Requiem for a Dream – it affected me more on an emotional level. Whilst Requiem for a Dream is a linear and aestheticized image of doom, the story of Ram Robinson contains several layers. Aronofsky withdrew into the background and opened up the maximum amount of space possible to Mickey Rourke's captivating acting, and to playing with genre expectations. Fortunately, the fear that The Wrestler would end up with the heroic pathos of the main character overcoming himself was not confirmed - quite the contrary. The devastation of the body, the inability to establish emotional relationships and to exist fully outside the space of a painful pretense called wrestling – all of these motifs are based on pure and unadulterated drama. I have nothing negative to say about this brilliantly and cleverly constructed film. Aronofsky is able to feign like a real wrestler, but there is no doubt that the blood and pain are real. Theater sometimes hurts more than reality. The Wrestler is another of the director's drastic portraits of the bottom of American society. For me, this is the most powerful film of the year so far. (2009-07-13)

Reality, dreams, desires, and reality. Darren Aronofsky resigns from the magic of editing or groundbreaking effects and becomes a guide through the world of wrestling matches. And it is a walk without embellishment. He doesn't flinch from anything, doesn't stop for a moment - and yet he partially fails. He relies too much on Rourke's perfect performance. In his portrayal, Randy is a breathtaking character dependent on his past and struggling with ingrained habits. I admired him, but I didn't breathe for him. The camera practically never leaves him, but I still don't feel the necessary dramatic closeness and take his story as a scripted scenario with necessary accompanying tools, with three evident twists and a strong ending. I never expected that I would reproach the director for a cold approach precisely in the emotionally soaked, dramatically perfect, and for me, already immortal Fountain. (2010-07-30)

Flawless, but mechanical. It's beautiful to watch and Mickey Rourke is superb, but Aronofsky should be making stories where every twist and turn isn't inevitable and taken from other genre films. The Wrestler kicks the viewer a couple of times, but it doesn't land any hard punches like Warrior, Rocky or even the sentimental Cinderella Man, and that's a shame... (2011-11-19)