Rent The Wrestler on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Robert Siegel
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.
Verdict
This focuses on what happens to a celebrity after the spotlight fades. All Randy knows is wrestling, and it's left him behind. He struggles to survive, continuing to return to wrestling despite the inherent dangers as he doesn't know anything else. Wrestling is the only time he feels important. He's willing to risk everything just for a sliver of that notion. He's told to retire, but embarrassment drives him back to the ring as we see the pity of others gnaw at him. We know he used to be famous, and now he's fallen so far with nowhere to go but back to the ring.
Watch It.
Review
I remember when this first released, I couldn't wait to see what Aronofsky would do next after Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain.
An opening montage shows us one of the most famous pro wrestlers of the 80s, Randy "The Ram" (Mickey Rourke). He dominated the sport, but twenty years later he's barely scraping by. He's forced into small matches that hardly pay anything at all, living in a trailer park and late on rent. We hear stories about athletes and pop culture stars that reach the peak of popularity with various contracts while making so much money and later they go broke. This is what happens.
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| Mickey Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" |
Randy clings to his past success, wrestling on the weekends despite the toll it takes on his body. What else does he have? During the week he works at a grocery story. These small matches show the craft. Randy is committed even when attendance is feeble. After the match he and the others talk about their various injuries, reliving the good old days. In another match his opponent doesn't look like a wrestler. The guy substitutes skill and ability for gross injuries. We've seen that Randy is good at what he does, but he's willing to sink to this level for a paycheck. After the match a doctor removes glass and staples from his body. I have to imagine Randy is wondering how he got there. He used to be famous, and now he's doing stunts.
Due to his age and the toll on his body he's told to stop wrestling, but he doesn't have anything else. He goes to a fan event and realizes that all of the wrestlers there suffer from various maladies. They're all clinging to the past, barely recognized, and unable to perform. Randy wants to deny that he's in the same boat. He's unwilling to admit that he doesn't have it anymore.
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| Mickey Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" |
Randy needs more hours at the grocery, but he doesn't want to work with customers, concerned they might recognize him. He tries to leave wrestling, but it's the only thing he knows and it's his only marketable skill. Whenever he's rejected or faces obstacles, he returns to wrestling as he wants to relive those glory days. I feel bad for Randy. Plenty of people are stuck in their glory days, but few people climbed so high and have fallen so far.
Despite health concerns and the inherent danger, Randy returns to the ring to the only thing he knows. We have this comparison to Cassidy (Marissa Tomei). She's a stripper Randy befriends, also considered too old, but she's just trying to make ends meet and take care of her son. She's likely still in the business as it's the only job she knows. Like Randy, what else can either of them do?
Randy returns to fighting. Like he stated earlier, the only place he feels no pain is in the ring. That's where he's alive and can forget about everything happening outside of the ring. Is he risking his life? Yes. Is the risk worth it to feel important if only for an instant? Yes.
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