The Wrestler

Armed with Mickey Rourke`s eye-opening, downright fascinating performance, The Wrestler ultimately establishes itself as a deliberately-paced yet consistently compelling character study that undoubtedly marks the high point of Darren Aronofsky’s career. The movie follows has-been wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Rourke) through the day-to-day minutia of his struggling existence, with a particular emphasis placed on his travails within the underground fighting circuit and also on his attempts at forming connections with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood’s Stephanie) and a lonely stripper (Marisa Tomei’s Cassidy). Aronofsky, working from Robert Siegel’s low-key screenplay, has infused The Wrestler with a gritty fly-on-the-wall sensibility that’s certainly a far cry from the hyper-stylized landscape of his earlier efforts, with Rourke’s immersive turn as the film’s increasingly tragic figure proving effective in establishing (and maintaining) the story’s unexpectedly authentic atmosphere. The inclusion of several crowd-pleasing interludes (eg Randy’s light-hearted stint at a deli counter) efficiently provides The Wrestler with bursts of levity amidst the almost relentlessly downbeat vibe, yet there’s little doubt that the movie is at its best in its more unapologetically emotional moments (eg Randy’s heartfelt tête-à-tête with Stephanie instantly establishes itself as a highlight within the proceedings). Siegel’s penchant for falling back on overtly familiar plot elements remains the film’s only real misstep, as the trajectory of the storyline will likely come off as easy to anticipate for viewers with even a marginal knowledge of similarly-themed fare (ie Siegel often seems to be relying on a character-study template). Still, this is an awfully minor complaint for an endeavor that is otherwise brilliantly acted and genuinely moving – with the effectiveness of Rourke’s engrossing performance ultimately impossible to overstate.

***1/2 out of ****