The Wrestler (2008 film)

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The Wrestler
The Wrestler poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDarren Aronofsky
Written byRobert Siegel
Produced by
Starring
  • Mickey Rourke
  • Marisa Tomei
  • Evan Rachel Wood
CinematographyMaryse Alberti
Edited byAndrew Weisblum
Music byClint Mansell
Production
companies
Distributed byFox Searchlight Pictures
Release date
  • September 5, 2008 (2008-09-05) (Venice)
  • December 17, 2008 (2008-12-17) (United States)
Running time
109 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6 million[2]
Box office$44.7 million[2]

The Wrestler is a 2008 American sports psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Robert Siegel. The film stars Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood. Production began in January 2008 and Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired rights to distribute the film in the U.S.;[3][4] it received a limited release on December 17, 2008, and was released nationwide on January 23, 2009. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on April 21, 2009, in the United States. It was released in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2009.[5]

Rourke plays an aging professional wrestler who, despite his failing health and waning fame, continues to wrestle in an attempt to cling to the success of his 1980s heyday. He also tries to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter and to find romance with a woman who works as a stripper.[6]

The film received critical acclaim and won the Golden Lion Award at the 65th Venice International Film Festival, where it premiered. Film critic Roger Ebert called it one of the year's best films, while Rotten Tomatoes reported that 98% of critics gave the film positive reviews. The success of the film revitalized the career of Mickey Rourke, who went on to receive a BAFTA award, a Golden Globe Award, an Independent Spirit Award and an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Tomei also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Plot[]

Professional wrestler Robin Ramzinski, better known by his ring name Randy "The Ram" Robinson, rose to fame in the 1980s. Now past his prime, Randy wrestles on weekends for independent promotions in New Jersey while working part-time at a supermarket under Wayne, a demeaning manager who mocks Randy's wrestling background. As a regular at a strip club, Randy befriends a stripper named Cassidy who, like Randy, is past her younger years for the job. After winning a local match, Randy agrees to a proposed 20th-anniversary rematch with his most notable opponent, "The Ayatollah", which Randy hopes could return him to stardom.

Randy intensifies his training, which includes steroid injections. After wrestling in a hardcore match, Randy suffers a heart attack backstage and undergoes coronary artery bypass surgery. His doctor informs him that he nearly died and has to stop taking steroids. To make things even worse, the doctor warns Randy not to wrestle anymore, as his heart can no longer handle the stress brought on by it. Reluctantly, Randy decides to retire and begins working a full-time shift at the supermarket's deli counter.

At Cassidy's suggestion, Randy visits his estranged daughter Stephanie, whom he had abandoned when she was a child, but she rebuffs him. While helping Randy buy a gift for Stephanie, Cassidy reveals that she has a son. Randy makes romantic advances toward her, which she rejects on the grounds of her job. Later, Randy gives the gift to his daughter and apologizes for abandoning her. The two bond over a visit to a beachfront boardwalk (where he took her as a child) and agree to meet for dinner on the coming Saturday. Randy goes to Cassidy's strip club to thank her, but she once more rejects him, resulting in a heated exchange. Upset, Randy goes to see a wrestling match and finds solace in his wrestling friends. While at a bar with them, he gets drunk, snorts cocaine, has sex with a woman in the women's restroom, then wakes up in her bedroom the next morning. Exhausted, he sleeps the entire next day and misses his dinner with Stephanie. He goes to her house to apologize, but she angrily tells him she never wants to see him again.

At the deli counter, a patron recognizes Randy as the wrestler, though he denies it. The customer persists, which agitates Randy, who then cuts his hand on the slicer and promptly quits on the spot, going into a rampage in the store while hurling abuse at Wayne and the customers. Spurred by the fan's recognition of him and with nothing left, Randy decides to return to wrestling and reschedules the rematch with The Ayatollah. He reconciles with Cassidy, though she begs him not to wrestle because of his heart condition and pleads with him to cancel the match and give the outside world a second chance. However, Randy disregards her advice, explaining to her that he belongs in the ring with his fans and fellow wrestlers who (unlike the rest of society) love and respect him.

As he wrestles, Randy begins to feel chest pain and becomes unsteady. The Ayatollah notices this and urges him to initiate the pin. Randy refuses, however, and climbs the top rope for his signature finishing move, a diving headbutt called the "Ram Jam". He looks over and sees Cassidy has left. As the crowd cheers his name, and with tears in his eyes, Randy salutes his fans and leaps from the top rope.

Cast[]

Rourke's performance in the film gave renewed interest to his career.
  • Mickey Rourke as Robin Ramzinski / Randy 'The Ram' Robinson
  • Marisa Tomei as Pam / Cassidy
  • Evan Rachel Wood as Stephanie Ramzinski
  • Mark Margolis as Lenny
  • Todd Barry as Wayne
  • Judah Friedlander as Scott Brumberg
  • Ernest Miller as Bob / 'The Ayatollah'
  • Ajay Naidu as Medic
  • Wass Stevens as Nick Volpe
  • John D'Leo as Adam
  • Gregg Bello as JAPW Promoter Larry Cohen
  • Armin Amiri as Dr. Moayedizadeh

Professional wrestlers who appeared in the film include: Andrew Anderson, Robbie E, Necro Butcher, Nick Berk, The Blue Meanie, Sabian, Nate Hatred, Ron Killings, L.A. Smooth, Jay Lethal, Johnny Valiant, Jim Powers, Austin Aries, Claudio Castagnoli, Larry Sweeney, Paul E. Normous, Romeo Roselli, John Zandig, Chuck Taylor, Nigel McGuinness, DJ Hyde, Kit Cope, Drew Gulak, Bobby Dempsey, Judas Young, Pappadon, and Jay Santana.

Production[]

Scenes where Rourke and Wood's characters try to bond were filmed on the Asbury Park boardwalk.

The Wrestler was written by Robert D. Siegel, a former writer for The Onion, and entered development at director Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures. Nicolas Cage entered negotiations in October 2007 to star as Randy.[7] The following month Cage left the project, and Mickey Rourke replaced him in the lead role. According to Aronofsky, Cage pulled out of the movie because Aronofsky wanted Rourke as the lead character. Aronofsky stated that Cage was "a complete gentleman, and he understood that my heart was with Mickey and he stepped aside. I have so much respect for Nic Cage as an actor and I think it really could have worked with Nic but, you know, Nic was incredibly supportive of Mickey and he is old friends with Mickey and really wanted to help with this opportunity, so he pulled himself out of the race."[8]

In a 2009 interview with Access Hollywood, Cage denied this allegation, stating that "I wasn't quote 'dropped' from the movie. I resigned from the movie because I didn't think I had enough time to achieve the look of the wrestler who was on steroids, which I would never do."[9] When first approached for the lead role, Rourke was initially reluctant, stating that "I didn't really care for the script, but I wanted to work with Darren and I kind of thought that whoever wrote the script hadn't spent as much time as I had around these kind of people and he wouldn't have spoken the way the dude was speaking. And, so Darren let me rewrite all my parts and he put the periods in and crossed the T's. So once we made that change I was okay with it."[10]

Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan claimed in 2012 on The Howard Stern Show that he was also offered the role of Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Hogan claims he turned down the role because he felt he wasn't the right man to portray the character.[11] Aronofsky disputed Hogan's claims, stating on his personal Twitter page that, "...the role of the Wrestler was always (Rourke's) it was never Hulk Hogan's as he claims on (Howard Stern.)"[12]

The roughly 40-day shoot began in January 2008,[13] with filming taking place throughout New Jersey in Elizabeth, Linden, Rahway, Roselle Park, Hasbrouck Heights, Garfield, Asbury Park, Dover, a supermarket in Bayonne where Rourke served and improvised with real customers,[14] and in New York.[15] Scenes were also shot at The Arena in Philadelphia.[16] The shoot wrapped up in March.

Afa Anoa'i, a former professional wrestler, was hired to train Rourke for his role. Anoa'i brought his two main trainers, Jon Trosky and Tom Farra, to work with Rourke for eight weeks. Both trainers also have parts in the film.[17]

One scene features a fictional Nintendo Entertainment System video game called Wrestle Jam '88. It starred the characters of Robinson and The Ayatollah. Aronofsky requested a fully functioning game for the actors to play. Programmer Randall Furino and the film's title designer Kristyn Hume created a playable demo with a working interface and AI routines that also featured 1980s era-appropriate graphics and music.[18]

To add more realism, the locker room scenes were improvised for Rourke and others to look as if they were actually socializing. Some of the deli scenes were improvised because Aronofsky was filming Rourke actually working there.

The final match between Ram and Ayatollah was in a Ring of Honor ring.

Music[]

Unlike Aronofsky's previous films—which featured original scores by Clint Mansell—The Wrestler has a soundtrack of pre-recorded pop music, most of it glam metal acts such as Ratt.

Clint Mansell, the composer for Aronofsky's previous films, π, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain, reprised his role as composer for The Wrestler. Slash played the guitars on the score. A new Bruce Springsteen song, also titled "The Wrestler", plays over the film's closing credits.[19] Springsteen wrote the song while on tour in Europe after receiving a letter and a copy of the script from Rourke.

The Guns N' Roses song "Sweet Child o' Mine" is played during Randy's ring entrance at the end of the film. In his Golden Globe Award acceptance speech, Rourke mentioned that Axl Rose donated the song for free due to the film's modest budget, and the film's closing credits thank Rose for this.[20] Rourke had used the same song as his intro music during his stint as a boxer in the early 1990s. Randy even mocks one of Axl Rose's biggest rivals in the popular music scene of the early 1990s: Kurt Cobain.

Also featured in the film are two Ratt songs ("Round and Round" and "I'm Insane"), the Quiet Riot song "Metal Health" (which is Randy's entrance song except for the last match), the FireHouse song "Don't Walk Away", the Slaughter song "Dangerous", the Scorpions song "Animal Magnetism", "Balls to the Wall" by Accept, "Soundtrack to a War" by Rhino Bucket and the Cinderella song "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)". The two Ratt tunes are actually recordings by Rat Attack, a project featuring Ratt lead singer Stephen Pearcy and guitarists George Lynch (Dokken) and Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns). The Madonna song "Jump" is played in the bar scene. The Birdman and Lil Wayne song "Stuntin' Like My Daddy" can be heard in the strip club. Also in the film is a song called "Let Your Freak Out" by independent Toronto singer-songwriter which can be heard during the strip club scene where Marisa Tomei's character is having an emotional conversation with Mickey Rourke's character.

In the Toronto International Film Festival interview conducted by James Rocchi, Aronofsky credited the 1957 Charles Mingus song "The Clown", an instrumental piece with a poem read over the music about a clown who accidentally discovers the bloodlust of the crowds and eventually kills himself in performance, as a major source of inspiration for the movie. Aronofsky also said the brief reprise of Senator and Presidential-candidate John McCain's "Bomb bomb Iran" to the tune of The Beach Boys' "Barbara Ann" in the movie evolved as improvisation on the set. The Ayatollah wrestling character's persona had developed more than 20 years before but, in part through this musical moment and its connection with the character, came to still feel appropriate to Aronofsky in 2008.[21]

Mickey Rourke appeared at WrestleMania 25 to promote The Wrestler.

Promotion[]

WWE helped promote it through an on-screen angle (a fictional storyline used in wrestling). This involved the heel Chris Jericho criticizing legendary retired wrestlers such as Ric Flair, who he felt were embarrassing themselves, as well as Mickey Rourke for his portrayal in The Wrestler. At the 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Rourke announced he would be competing at WrestleMania 25, specifically targeting Jericho.[22] The announcement led to a confrontation between the two on Larry King Live, which showed signs of second thoughts from Rourke.[23] On January 28, it was announced through Rourke's spokesperson that the actor would not compete at WrestleMania,[24] and he was soon after announced instead as a guest.[25]

Rourke was also invited to the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony the night before WrestleMania. The angle culminated the following night where Jericho faced Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, and Jimmy Snuka in a handicap match. After his victory, Jericho dismantled Flair and challenged Rourke, who finally entered the ring and punched him out. Flair then congratulated Rourke.

Reception[]

The Wrestler received universal critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 98% of critics gave the film positive reviews based upon a sample of 233 reviews, with an average rating of 8.40/10, and gave it a Golden Tomato for best drama of 2008. The critical consensus states that "Mickey Rourke gives a performance for the ages in The Wrestler, a richly affecting, heart-wrenching yet ultimately rewarding drama."[26] At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 80, based on 36 reviews, signifying "generally favorable reviews".[27] Alonso Duralde, of MSNBC, said, "Rourke's work transcends mere stunt-casting; his performance is a howl of pain that seems to come from a very real place."[28]

Todd McCarthy, of Variety, said, "Rourke creates a galvanizing, humorous, deeply moving portrait that instantly takes its place among the great, iconic screen performances."[29] Ben Mankiewicz, from At the Movies, said, "To put it simply, this is the best film I've seen this year."[30] Le Monde praised the film for melding European film style with an American plot, and stated that "Mickey Rourke's performance in 'The Wrestler' is a continuous celebration of the burdens and splendors of the profession of performance."[31] (One other French film critic, Philippe Azoury, praised its portrayal of "the American heartland" as what he viewed as a bleak wasteland.[32]) Although The Wrestler was not technically in Roger Ebert's "Best Films" list, he includes a note at the bottom of his review: "'The Wrestler' is one of the year's best films. It wasn't on my 'best films' list for complicated and boring reasons."[33]

Roddy Piper was one of several professional wrestlers to voice his approval for the film and was later featured on a Blu-ray extra commenting on its authenticity.

Professional wrestling industry reception[]

Prominent wrestling figures have commented on the film. During an NPR interview, Aronofsky remarked on WWE chairman Vince McMahon's feelings on The Wrestler:

Vince McMahon saw the film and he called both me and Mickey (Rourke) and he was really, really touched by it. It happened a week ago. We were very nervous wondering what he would think, but he really, really felt the film was special. Having his support meant a lot to us, especially Mickey.[34]

WWE Hall of Famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart, who was a multi-time world champion in both WWE and WCW, enjoyed The Wrestler and applauded Rourke's "clairvoyant" performance, but called the film a "dark misinterpretation" of the business. He asserted: "Randy "The Ram" Robinson was a main-eventer who sold out Madison Square Garden. So was I ... Although the film speaks superbly to the speed bumps all pro wrestlers navigate, I'm happy to report most of us don't swerve off the road quite so severely."[35] WWE play-by-play commentator Jim Ross called it a "really strong, dramatic film that depicts how people who are obsessed with their own lives and their careers can self-destruct".[36]

Former WWE and TNA world heavyweight champion Mick Foley enjoyed the film, saying: "Within five [minutes], I had completely forgotten I was looking at Mickey Rourke. That guy on the screen simply was Randy 'the Ram' Robinson."[37] WWE Hall of Famer "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was said to have been highly emotional after watching a screening of the film. Aronofsky said of Piper: "He loved it. He broke down and cried in Mickey's arms, so he was psyched that this story was finally told."[38] Insights on the film from Roddy Piper and other former pro wrestlers can be seen in Fox Searchlight Pictures's "Wrestler Round Table", which was included on the Blu-ray release of the film.[39]

Pro wrestling manager and promoter Jim Cornette criticized the film for being an unrelentingly depressing view of the professional wrestling world, saying it was neither realistic nor accurate of the profession for most wrestlers involved in it.[40]

Top ten lists[]

The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008.[41][42]

Criticism[]

In March 2009, Javad Shamaqdari, cultural adviser to the-then Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, demanded an apology from a delegation of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences actors and producers visiting Iran for what he characterized as negative and unfair portrayals of the Islamic republic in The Wrestler and other Hollywood films.[44]

Accolades[]

Main article: List of accolades received by The Wrestler (2008 film)

The film won the Golden Lion at the 65th Venice International Film Festival, and was nominated for two Academy Awards. It was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, winning two.

References[]

  1. ^ "THE WRESTLER (15)". Optimum Releasing. British Board of Film Classification. October 31, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b The Wrestler at Box Office Mojo Retrieved September 9, 2013
  3. ^ Fox Searchlight Wins The Wrestler | /Film Archived October 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Slashfilm.com (2008-09-08). Retrieved on 2010-11-21.
  4. ^ REMSTAR MEDIA PARTNERS | Remstar Media Partners acquires canadian distribution rights for the movie "The Wrestler" Archived September 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Newswire.ca. Retrieved on 2010-11-21.
  5. ^ "阿莉彩票平台可靠吗,阿莉彩票平台官网,阿莉彩票官网,阿莉彩票客户端下载,阿莉彩票的网址,阿莉彩票APP". www.pwnewsnow.com.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Skorin-Kapov, Jadranka (2015), "Darren Aronofsky's Films and the Fragility of Hope, " Bloomsbury Academic, ISBN 978-1501306976
  7. ^ Gregg Goldstein (October 12, 2007). "Cage makes some moves on 'Wrestler'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  8. ^ Peter Sciretta (October 9, 2008). "Interview: Darren Aronofsky". slashfilm.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
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  10. ^ "Rourke didn't 'care for' 'Wrestler' script". Upi.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  11. ^ Lussier, Germain. "Hulk Hogan Wants In 'Expendables 3,' Reportedly Lies About Being Cast In 'The Wrestler'". www.slashfilm.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  12. ^ Paglino, Nick. "Director of "The Wrestler" Shoots Down Hogan's Claim That He Was Offered the Lead Role in the Film". www.wrestlezone.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  13. ^ Michael Fleming (November 10, 2007). "Mickey Rourke wires 'Wrestler'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
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  20. ^ Golden Globes – All Videos – Newest – Video Archived January 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. NBC.com (2010-07-19). Retrieved on 2010-11-21.
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  29. ^ McCarthy, Todd (September 4, 2008). "The Wrestler Movie Review". Variety. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  30. ^ "At the Movies". Archived from the original on September 8, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2008.
  31. ^ Le Monde review Archived February 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, the quoted translation from this article Archived April 30, 2014, at the Wayback Machine on The New Yorker website
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  35. ^ The Hitman versus 'The Wrestler' – Arts & Culture – Macleans.ca. Blog.macleans.ca (2009-02-16). Retrieved on 2010-11-21.
  36. ^ [1] Archived March 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  37. ^ Foley, Mick (December 18, 2008). "The Wrestler Is Good". Slate. The Slate Group. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved December 18, 2008. Within five [minutes], I had completely forgotten I was looking at Mickey Rourke. That guy on the screen simply was Randy 'the Ram' Robinson ...
  38. ^ WWE News, Rumors, Results & InformationWWE Signs Repo Man's Son, "The Wrestler" Makes WWE Hall of Famer Cry, More Archived February 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Rajah.com. Retrieved on 2010-11-21.
  39. ^ "The Wrestler DVD Features".[permanent dead link]
  40. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8F3e_1YSio&t=0s Retrieved December 19, 2016
  41. ^ "Metacritic: 2008 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 2, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  42. ^ "Metacritic: 2007 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". January 2, 2009. Archived from the original on January 2, 2009.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  43. ^ "CALE'S 10 BEST FILMS OF 2008". Ruthless Reviews. Archived from the original on January 18, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
  44. ^ Mostaghim, Ramin (March 2, 2009). "Iranian official demands apology from visiting Hollywood delegation". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved February 18, 2020.

External links[]

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