The Wrestler – Ruhm, Liebe, Schmerz (2008)

The Wrestler – Ruhm, Liebe, Schmerz: Directed by Darren Aronofsky. With Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis. A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.

“Wow, what a sordid but fascinating film. I can why Mickey Rourke won so many awards for his performance, too. The same goes for the film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film was shocking to me: For instance, it was a shock seeing Rourke -u0026quot;Randy The Ramu0026quot; – with the long, flowing blond hair and rippling muscles. Hey, itu0026#39;s not that former boxer was ever in bad shape, but he never had muscles like this either. The man must have pumped a lot of iron to get ready for this role as an aging wrestler.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnother shock was seeing Maria Tomei, of u0026quot;My Cousin Vinnyu0026quot; fame, naked – and in that state in more than one scene. She didnu0026#39;t leave much to the imagination as u0026quot;Cassidy.u0026quot; A third shock was seeing some of the early wrestling scenes. Yeah, pro wrestling is rough stuff and itu0026#39;s bloody and itu0026#39;s fake, etc., but the scenes in here are pretty brutal, more than Iu0026#39;ve ever seen on TV. The one extended match with the u0026quot;staplesu0026quot; was pretty gruesome.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEvan Rachel Wood is convincing as Randyu0026#39;s daughter u0026quot;Stephanie.u0026quot; This 21-year-old is no stranger to acting, having been doing it since she was four! The scenes with her and her dad are memorable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen the shock of the above scenes of sex and violence (and language) fade away, underneath it all is a very tender, sad tale of a lonely man who invested too much in his career and, after coming close to mortality, realizes the important of family and simply being loved by anyone. Thatu0026#39;s what sticks with you long after the film ends. Loneliness can be a killer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Randyu0026quot; tries to mend fences and post a few himself – in his final quest not to wind up as an island in this world of humanity – with both successful and unsuccessful results. Sometimes you can never change what you are, and sometimes you can. Both of those are demonstrated here in this oddly-edgy-but sentimental film.”