Movie Review: “The Wrestler”
Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler.”
Rating: 95
When the public loses a great artist, not by death but by foolishness or misadventure, the impact is not usually realized until, by some miraculous intervention, that performer is returned to the spotlight after years in the wilderness. Director Darren Aronofsky must have felt the vacuum left by Mickey Rourke when the great method actor squandered his career in the early ’90s, and “The Wrestler” is his restoration.
Rourke, who is nominated for a best actor Oscar for this performance, is a mass of sinew and scars as Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a pro-wrestler who was as big as Hulk Hogan in his ’80s heyday. But Randy landed the way so many entertainers do in professions without retirement or medical insurance: near destitute, wringing out the last drops of his ability and fame on the margins. He clings to the bright lights whenever he can, though they get dimmer by the day.
Randy’s only confidant is Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), a stripper who, like Randy, is realizing too late that she didn’t pay attention to the “sell by” date on her profession. The fact that his only real friend works in a strip club says volumes about how everything else fell away in Randy’s life, including his now-grown daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood), who wonders why her father never was around. There are no good answers.
Rourke invests fully in Randy’s mounting personal disaster, and the greatest scenes in “The Wrestler” come when three elements intertwine: Randy’s faux-glorious past, his rotting present, and Rourke’s own personal and professional history. It’s hard not to be reminded that when Rourke became persona non grata in film and sacrificed his career, his looks and his reputation to become a middling boxer, his own life drew sharp parallels to Randy’s fall from grace. To his credit, Aronofsky allows this element to deepen his story and character rather than become a sideshow, and the director never looks down on his creations — they exist on their own terms, however meager they might be.
Both Tomei and Wood deliver remarkable performances, but “The Wrestler” is Rourke’s time in the pale sun of Aronofsky’s working-class world. Rourke proves once again that he has the depth of feeling and commitment that once made him the heir to Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro. He could have been a contender, and with “The Wrestler,” Rourke proves that he is far from being down for the count.
Oscar Statement from Gus Van Sant (”Milk”)
“I am so thankful, so humbled, by The Academy for the nominations they have given our film – I’m so proud of our screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, Sean Penn and Josh Brolin and our incredible team, Danny Glicker, Danny Elfman, Elliot Graham, and our amazing producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen. These nominations ensure that Harvey Milk’s legacy will live on.”
Oscar Statement from Josh Brolin (”Milk”)
“It is very special because of this movie. I am happy ‘Milk’ received so many nominations and that people are paying attention. The subject matter is so timely and important right now because of what is happening in California with Prop 8. When I think about my life a few years ago, being happy just to feed my kids, never in a million years would I have imagined I would be up at 5 in the morning getting phone calls saying I was nominated for an Academy Award. There is no reality to it.”
Oscar Statement from Martin McDonagh (”In Bruges”)
“My heartfelt thanks to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, particularly the writers’ branch, for their support. I’m thrilled that a tale so peculiar and twisted, and that was released so long ago, has stayed in their minds for so long.”
Oscar Statement from David Fincher (”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”)
“‘Benjamin Button’ was truly a labor of love and I am humbled by the nomination. On behalf of the producers, cast and crew, I’d like to thank the Academy, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros and most of all the city of New Orleans, who gave birth to Benjamin.”
Oscar Statement from Brad Pitt (”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”)
“This is a great honor for the movie, and I’m especially happy for David Fincher, for without him there would be no Ben Button.”
Oscar Statement from Taraji P. Henson (”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”)
“I am very excited, deeply honored and grateful. I thank Laray Mayfield, David Fincher, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy for giving me the opportunity to bring Queenie to life.”
Oscar Statement from Viola Davis (”Doubt”)
“I still feel like the little brown-skinned girl from Central Falls, Rhode Island who dreamed the biggest dream. And how great that all of my fellow actors were recognized with this incredible honor.”
Oscar Statement from Freida Pinto (”Slumdog Millionaire”)
“The entire ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ experience has exceeded my wildest expectations. I feel thrilled and so thankful that Danny had faith in me even though I had no past experience in films. Hailing from Mumbai, it means even more to me that a film about this unique city has been nominated for such a prestigious award. It’s been an absolute honor to have worked with such a passionate team and its wonderful to know that critics and audiences across the globe have loved what we have worked so hard to achieve.”
Oscar Statement from Dev Patel (”Slumdog Millionaire”)
“It’s just amazing. For ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ to be included in the nominations for the Oscars is a huge honor. When we first began working on the film I don’t think any of us ever imagined that we might end up attending the Oscars ceremony as a result. I’m just so proud to be a part of this project and I have been overwhelmed by the positive reaction to the film. Thank you to everyone who has supported us. I truly feel blessed.”
