The Wrestler

release year: 2008
genre: drama
viewing setting: home DVD, 4/27/09

synopsis: An aging ex-star wrestler tries to make a new kind of life, but ultimately falls back on the one thing that's always been comfortable for him: wrestling.

impressions: This could have been a documentary on the pain and suffering that professional wrestlers go through on a regular basis. It was that accurate, and left nothing out...not the daily aches and pains, not the injuries or their solutions, not the will it takes to pull staples, tacks, and barbed wire out of your body after a match. The main character tries - he really tries - to have a life outside of wrestling, to truly retire. However, everything he does fails and finally he says "to hell with it" and commits to his last big match, despite the strong risk of him having a fatal heart attack.

something this movie has that no other movie has: A wrestler staple-gunning his opponent.

acting: Mickey Rourke does a great job as a guy who basically tries to to the right thing, but can't quite pull it off. Marissa Tomei is the aging stripper who he wants to settle down with. Evan Rachel Wood his the daughter who doesn't really want her father in her life.

final word: Good movie that should show people the dark side of wrestling.

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