The Wrestler
Director:
Darren Aronofsky
Stars: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Plot: With his battle scars and failing heart, retired professional wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Rourke) jumps back into the squared cirle, climbing his way up the independent-circuit ladder, with his eyes on a showdown with his longtime rival.
I could come up with a dozen wrestling metaphors to describe Darren Aronofsky’s apparently triumphant return to scrappy, independent filmmaking, while I join the circle of whisperers who are guessing that Mickey Rourke will be up for Oscar glory here, but I’m, well, hesitant. The fact remains that Aronofsky couldn’t find native funds for this one, and he turned to Wild Bunch, the French foreign sales company who also backed Soderbergh’s four-hour Che Guevera biography. And though the film, essentially a three-character drama, was purchased by Fox Searchlight, I don’t think The Wrestler is going to be their Juno-like success this year — neither commercially nor critically. In fact, I hear press at both festivals just sorta rolled their eyes at this one. However, I really hope I eat my own words, because I’m pro-Aronofsky, provided The Fountain can be ignored.
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