Mickey Rourke is the good choice to play the fictional wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson in The Wrestler. The Ram was a well-loved professional wrestler in the 1980s. In his prime, he had his own video game, a VHS series of his best matches, and lots of people pay to watch him fight.
The Wrestler begins in the present with The Ram wrestling with small town promoters and being locked out of his trailer home because he’s behind on his rent. He still looks good for his age, which he has steroids to thank for. He’s well loved by his peers and the neighborhood kids treat him as a hero.
He knows he can’t wrestle forever but wrestling is the only thing he’s good at. For him, being on top of the turnbuckle is the best place in the world. But once he steps out of the ring, his life is miserable. He tried to reconcile with daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) who he left to the care of his ex-wife.
Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke): When you live hard and you play hard and burn the candle at both ends… in this life, you can lose everything you love, everything that loves you. Alot of people told me that I’d never wrestle again, they said “he’s washed up”, “he’s finished” , “he’s a loser”, “he’s all through”. You know what? The only ones gonna tell me when I’m through doing my thing, is you people here. You people here… you people here. You’re my family.
The only good thing going for him is his friendship with the not-so-young stripper Cassidy (Marisa Tomei). She knows her career will end soon but she’s ready for her retirement unlike The Ram who’s just an old wrestler who doesn’t know when to give up. Marisa Tomei was perfect for the role because even for her age, she still has a sexy body.
Being a wrestling fan I enjoyed The Wrestler. It felt real even though we all know that professional wrestling is fake. The Ram is like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage combined. Mickey Rourke could have been a Pro-wrestler if he didn’t become an actor.
One thing I hate in The Wrestler was when The Ram called Kurt Cobain a pussy for coming along and ruining the 80s Glam Rock by introducing Grunge to the world. Then he goes and blurt out that the 90s sucked. Coming from a washed up wrestler, I know that this should not be taken seriously.
But aside from that, The Wrestler is entertaining. It did a good job of showing what people loved about this spectator sport. It is an honest view into the world of professional wrestling. Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood and Mickey Rourke gave out solid performances. People who grew out with wrestling in the 80s must watch The Wrestler.
