The Wrestler - Movie Review

The Wrestler (R) 109 minutes B+
A humanistic homage to a one trick pony

Starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood

Have you ever seen a one trick pony in the field so happy and free?
If you've ever seen a one trick pony then you've seen me.

Those are lyrics from Bruce Springsteen's The Wrestler, the song and the film has been stuck in my head since I saw it yesterday. The Wrestler is one of those films that might not strike you as great when you get up and leave the movie theater, but it stays on your mind and marinates in your thoughts until you realize it's a damn good film!

It sounds cliche to say that all of us have a little Randy "The Ram" Robinson in our hearts- a loneliness, an emptiness, and a desire to experience intimate and true love. But certainly we all can relate (at one time or another) to this study of isolation and emotional longing. Most of us would be lucky if we had one thing we loved as much as Randy "The Ram" loved wrestling. But when that one thing is all you have it's easy not to care about anything else.

This entire film has the vibe of a Springsteen song- a fallen hero, a beautiful stripper, drinking, a blue collar struggle to make ends meet, and a daughter that hates her father. Some might say it's depressing, but this is a slice of Americana that audiences need to experience.

These things that have comforted me, I drive away
This place that is my home I cannot stay
My only faith's in the broken bones and bruises I display.
(The Wrestler, lyrics by Bruce Springsteen)