The Wrestler

[Laura]

I've been following it since I heard about it a while ago...and I cannot wait to see it. The fact that it's about something that I feel I completely understand and love makes it even better. I hope it gets the recognition it deserves, because it could help propel wrestling to another level.

[Ian "Wolfie" Trumps]

I've been following it since I heard about it a while ago...and I cannot wait to see it. The fact that it's about something that I feel I completely understand and love makes it even better. I hope it gets the recognition it deserves, because it could help propel wrestling to another level.

Damn straight sister.

[Tim-Æ]

I saw the first full trailer tonight when I saw "Slumdog Millionaire." I have a feeling that Mickey Rourke is going to win an Oscar. As soon as it comes here, I'll be seeing it.

[Black Death]

ok . going to check this out , saw what mickey rourke  look like and first glance  I thought he was Jerry Lynn ,  no shit.   but the feel and look of the film is so real to life .  amazing detail done .   

[Duckman]

From BBC website:

"In a limited release, Mickey Rourke's acclaimed drama The Wrestler made a heavyweight debut taking in $209,474 (£140,000) in just four cinemas averaging $52,369 (£35,000) per cinema."

Looks like there is a big audience out there for this movie.  I'm hoping it gets a UK release soon.

Peace

Duckman

[Cory]

....I really want to see this movie

[Ian "Wolfie" Trumps]

The Wrestler movie premiere recently screened in the US and those that have seen it are comparing the relationship Randy “The Ram” Robinson has with his daughter, to that of Jake Robers and how his relationship with his daughter was shown on the Beyond The Mat documentary.

Without getting in to plot specifics the movie does an amazing job of showing how wrestlers who were once stars fall victim to the “wrestling culture” and end up with nothing, trudging through unknown Indy promotions, making a small amount of money compared to their heyday and ultimately breaking down physically and emotionally as they can no longer connect with the real world.

The story itself is said to be straight forward, but its the details, realism and acting that makes it a tremendous success and hardcore fans will really appreciate that their sport is being treated seriously on the big screen as opposed to a complete joke of a movie like Ready to Rumble with David Arquette.

Nothing is campy and it is said to do probably the best job of portraying the wrestling business for what it really is. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is yet to be determined.

After seeing the trailer I have to admit Rourke's interaction with his daughter reminded me of the scenes from Beyond the Mat with Jake and his chubby daughter. I think a few have said its loosely based on Jake Roberts, but whatever I will just be stoked to see it.

[Duckman]

Vince was supposed to be getting a private screening on Friday - no word on how that went or what his opinion on the film was.  It'll be interesting to see what he make of the story that happens to the guys he creates after they leave the main stream wrestling machine.

Peace

Duckman

[Ian "Wolfie" Trumps]

I personally can't see Vince being behind the project. Though I still reckon when its a success, WWE will jump on the bandwagon, but bringing back a rehashed wrestler and allowing them one more shot in the limelight. Still my prediction for 2009.

[Josh]

I'm banking on "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan obliterating the entire roster with his 2x4!

[Gary]

this is a fantastic movie, saw the dvd screener sam talked about, and boy is this movie fucking amazing. Rourke is awesome in it, and I can see some people seeing the wrestling buissness somewhat different after the CZW locker room scene.

[The Murph]

Seen the screener last night and must say this is probably the film of 2008. Mickey was amazing in it and it just held me in my seat from beginning to end. Everyone needs to see this movie.

That goes for wrestling fans, movie fans, and non wrestling or movie fans. It is something that is happy and tragic at the same time. And the fact that there are so many wrestlers exactly like this is what makes this even sadder.

[Duckman]

Yeah I watched this last night.  I managed to find a perfect DVD screener copy with no water mark or going from colour to black and white and best of all, no stupid subtitles!  The audio and picture was 10/10.

Spoilers will follow so if you don't want to know certain plot points or moments then go watch the movie and then come back!



This is a fantastic film, there's no doubt about that.  It's filmed in a way that makes it incredibly gritty and realistic.  It reminded me a bit of the style that moview with Eminem 8 Mile.  Not with the content or the performances, but just the look and feel of the movie, lots of hand held shots and long single takes that got you right into the heart of the story.

Rourke is a revelation in this.  The battered, broken down, insecure character he plays is such a babyface and you have to route for him, although there are moments when you think "come on you stupid old bastard just retire, it's over," this is especially true in the fan convention scene.  When he is looking around at all the guys who were stars when he was a star and they are all old, disabled, asleep or just nuts.  A really moving scene.

The film is full of moving moments.  Especially involving Rourke and his daughter.  There's a moment where they are sitting on the pier and he uses the line "I'm just a broken down piece of meat that no one cares about and that's fine, that's my fault, but I can't live knowing that you hate me."  I have to admit that put shivers down my spine and it just did again as I'm writing this!

I loved the way the film didn't do the happy ending with him and his daughter or even with him and Pam (Marisa Tomei's character) because it wouldn't have been fitting with the style of the movie.

Speaking of Tomei she puts in a fantastic performance.  Granted I was a bit biased because she has the sweetest ass I've ever seen on a 40 year old!  Still she's like the moral centre of the film, trying to walk a fine line with Rourke's character and in her own life that she finds really difficult.

On the wrestling side of things I can't fault the film.  There's some good exchanges in the matches and Rourke really does look and carry himself like a 20 year veteran in the ring.  It's cool to see guys like Necro Butcher get lines and also a lot of camera time.  

They also got the locker room aspects right with the respect shown to Rourke and also the way the younger guys he's working with ask him what he wants to do in the match.  It's little things like that that make the film feel so much more real.

ROH gets a lot of exposure in the film too which is cool and I spotted a lot of their talent in the locker room with guys like Austin Aries, Larry Sweeney, Eric Stevens, Claudio Castagnoli and Bobby Dempsey all appearing on camera.

When it comes down to it this film is about more than just wrestling.  In fact a large chunk of the film doesn't even taken place around wrestling, but instead showing the desolate and lonely life that Rourke's character lives.  It's touching, heart warming, emotional, intense and at the centre of it all Rourke just owns the screen.  It's a powerful performance and it's one that I think will win him the Oscar.  It's a performance I'll remember for a long, long time.

Great movie, I can't recommend this highly enough, not just to wrestling fans, but to everyone.

Peace

Duckman

[Jimmy Chisel]

I'm not sure it would be eligible for the next Oscars due to its limited release, however since its made  a pretty good start on limited release it might very well get a full one. I'm not claiming to be an expert on this but its what I've gathered from another forum.

I watched the leaked screener on Sunday. Below are my spoilerific thoughts, written for elsewhere literally moments after I watched.

[spoiler]It's taken me a few mins. to process it and I think I still kinda am, but that was one of the most emotionally involving films I've ever watched. Admittedly seeing random indy guys and hearing names I recognized from EWR or seeing guys like Ron Killings and Jimmy Valiant was sort of a cheap thrill. Necro Butcher does a great job. Some of the made up wrestler names were kinda corny I thought but it felt like I was watching one of those RF On The Road deals, as the camera just shadows Ram.

Ram and Cassidy was a real interesting relationship, I liked parrells of the characters, one being an aging stripper the other an aging pro wrestler. I'm sure I could draw more on that with thought.

Ram and Stephanie, the scenes with these two actually teared me up a tad. A few scenes in this movie had me, between the arguments with Stephanie, the scenes immediatly after Ram's heart-attack and bypass, when he's in the shower. Also the ending, I seriously thought Ernest Miller was going to pull Ram on top of him and Ram would die in the ring. The ending did sort of irk me for a few seconds, did he survive? Where did Pam/Cassidy go? It was like Rocky minus the getting the girl in the end thing. We don't know what happens to him, but we know he got to have his last match. Which in the end is all that really mattered. It was the only place that Ram really felt functional. The real world wasn't his world.

Anyway, I think I've been babbling too much, I literally just stopped watching so I'm kinda typing as I take it all in, for want of a better phrase.

Is it a happy ever after? No. It's more realistic than that. It was endearing, emotional, I got a kick out of seeing wrestlers and wrestling taken seriously. It's definantly got the Rocky vibe, but there is a lot more to it than Rocky Meets Wrestling.[/spoiler]

And a on the ending taken from the same forum.

[spoiler]For what it's worth, I just came up with this whilst thinking of the ending.

What happens at the Deli when he cuts his thumb and quits, Robin (Randy's real name, since that is the name on his badge) dies essentially. Robin has nothing, bad health, a daughter who hates him and pretty much everything in his life is crummy. Where as Ram is this immortal Superman. This is why we cannot see the end of the match. Robin is gone, Randy The Ram is someone who can only exist in the wrestling ring. He is all that remains, the end of that match is the end of him. This is why we cannot see it. It would end him, but the legend of who he is needs to remain no matter what the real man was the legend, the wrestler will always be something apart, something frozen in time. The ever lasting hero, the man behind is irrelevant, pathetic and essentially destroyed by the events of the film all in a wish to keep the wrestler alive, so in order for that to happen we must be left in the dark. We must remember the Ram fighting, not Robin dying. Which is really how we see wrestlers as fans. We don't see Terry Bollea or Dwayne Johnson or Steve Williams (Austin not Dr. Death) or Paul Levesque or Michael Hickenbottom. We see Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Steve Austin, HHH and HBK. We see the myths they created, no matter what goes in the realities. So, The Wrestler leaves us with the myth, and the knowledge the man behind it destroyed himself to keep it alive.

Sorry if I got to analytic for anyone. I hit a zone.[/spoiler]

[Gary]

oh and somebody call The Cat's momma the guy has gotten huge!!!