In The Wrestler Darren Aronofsky creates one of the most amazing films in recent memory. That he does so with pro wrestling as a backdrop validates everything that Robert Evans (who produced a couple of little films you may have heard of called The Godfather and Chinatown among many others) says about the necessity of breaking rules to touch magic.
Pro wrestling has been a popular part of American entertainment culture for nearly a century, but until now has been depicted very poorly in the movies. 1962′ ‘Requiem for a Heavyweight’ may be the best wrestling movie ever made until now almost by default. Requiem starred Anthony Quinn as an aging boxer who is at the end of his career and running out of options. He turns to pro wrestling out of financial necessity, and this career move is intended to symbolize his hitting rock bottom.
While Requiem is a praiseworthy film bolstered by solid performances by Quinn and Jackie Gleason and features a number of prizefighting greats including Muhammad Ali, Willie Pep, Jack Dempsey and Barney Ross it is at its core a boxing film. Pro wrestling is portrayed as the lowest, most humiliating avocation for a boxer. While there are certainly those who share this critical assessment of wrestling, it does little to explain its appeal and enduring popularity.
Pro wrestling has been featured in a lot of other movies, almost all with poor results. With the exception of a few movies with a small pro wrestling component (Jim Carrey’s excellent portrayal of comedian Andy Kauffman in ‘Man In The Moon’) and a half dozen or so documentaries, wrestling and movies have never seen eye to eye.
In the starring role of Randy The Ram Robinson, Rourke doesnt just hit the ball out of the park: he turns in a performance that will almost certainly take its place among the greats in film history. Before seeing the film, comparisons that critics were making to Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront, Paul Newman in The Hustler, and Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull seemed somewhat hyperbolic. After watching Rourke firsthand, such lofty comparisons not only seem appropriate but obvious”his performance leaves the viewer at a loss for superlatives. For a wrestling fan, its even more impressive due to his in-ring work. With the exception of a couple of extremely high risk spots, Rourke did all of his own wrestling and took all of the bumps himself. Its unfortunate that the Oscar voters couldnt see past their disdain for the subject matter to give Rourke the Best Actor award he so obviously deserved.
Aronofsky had a high degree of difficulty in creating an honest portrayal of professional wrestling. On one hand, he had to illustrate the raw and gritty reality of life at the lower levels of the profession. On the other hand, he had to convey to the audience the appeal of pro wrestling”why men like The Ram put themselves through hell to stay involved and why hardcore fans care so much. Miss the balance in one direction and the result is a film that misses the ability of pro wrestling to touch magic in its own way that keeps wrestlers in the ring and fans watching them. Err in the other direction and youve got a film that overly romanticizes a business that is at best tough and unforgiving and at worst barbaric and dehumanizing. Perhaps the most amazing thing about The Wrestler is how well it succeeds on both levels, which likely accounts for the effusive praise it has garnered from film geeks who wouldnt know a headlock from a padlock as well as pro wrestling enthusiasts.
Thats what makes Rourkes performance so amazing and The Wrestler such a great film”it simultaneously depicts pro wrestling at its best and worst and gets them both right. It accurately depicts the brutal downside of a sometime unforgiving profession, but also demonstrates the seductive appeal that keeps both the ‘workers’ and fans captivated. Aronofsky and Rourke manage to convey the lure and revulsion that is unique to pro wrestling and simultaneously extrapolate them to much larger truths about human existence.
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and highly respected authority on NFL football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
categories: pro wrestling,sports,movies
Popularity: unranked [?]
