I saw "The Wrestler" with my 14-year-old son (I don’t recommend it, though – too much sex), and without knowing anything about the storyline, he thought it was a documentary. That’s how good Mickey Rourke is in this role. He’s not just playing a broken down shell of a man who’s all alone. He actually IS that man. So I’m guessing when he thanked his dogs in his Golden Globe speech — "sometimes all a man’s got is his dogs" — he knew what he was talking about.

And watching the movie, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in this role. They couldn’t have cast some pretty boy who’s at the top of his game. It just wouldn’t have been authentic. So … kudos to whomever cast Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler." Well done.

The story follows Rourke’s character, Randy "The Ram" Robinson. He’s an old wrestler who should have retired years ago. But it’s all he knows, so he spends his days doing matches in gym auditoriums for fans who’ve followed him for years.

Randy is beaten and broken down, both emotionally and physically, surviving on a diet of pills and injections, but still spending money to get his long hair bleached and his body tanned. When he’s not getting pummeled in the ring – and I mean pummeled – he hangs out at a seedy strip club and tries to make time with an exotic dancer named Pam a.k.a. Cassidy (Marisa Tomei). She’s trying to move on with her life, and just not sure she wants to get involved with this mess of a guy. But you get the feeling she sees something gentle underneath his grizzled exterior.

Randy also has an estranged daughter, Stephanie, he hasn’t seen in years, played by Evan Rachel Wood. He truly wants to have some sort of relationship with this girl, but his fumbled attempts aren’t helping much.

"The Wrestler" is one of those movies that sucks you in and makes you feel for all these characters. They’re all in rough shape, one way or another. It’s really a character study, more than a movie with a defined plot. The main plot revolves around Randy’s pathetic existence and his relationships, with side-plots involving a heart attack he suffers after a particularly rough match, and a possible re-match with a famed wrestler he took on 20 years ago.

But even though his life is pathetic, he keeps on trying, takes a minimum wage job in a store and ends up working, of all places, in the deli department. I kept telling my son, yeah, I’d love to buy sliced ham and potato salad from this guy.

The R rating is spot on. My son was fine with it, because he’s a budding filmmaker who sees a lot of movies that might be too intense for other kids. But there’s lots of wrestling violence – including several REALLY bloody scenes – and several scenes of nudity in the strip club, as well as one outright sex scene.

In summary, "The Wrestler" is a great character study with all the right actors in their roles and authentic settings. As my son says, it seems like a documentary about a broken down guy, and it sort of is in a way.

The only reason I didn’t give it five geckos is because I thought the ending was kind of a throw-away. It seemed like a commercial ending, and didn’t seem true to the movie.

What about you? Did you like "The Wrestler"? Did the ending seem true to you, and not too commercial?

Images: TM and copyright, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. All Rights Reserved.

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“It is such a thrill to be recognized in this category with these remarkably talented women. I was with my parents and my dog when I got the news, and we were all overjoyed — although I’m not sure my dog knew what was going on. This is a great day to be an actress!” — Anne Hathaway, best-actress nominee for Rachel Getting Married

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“Working with Clint Eastwood was a reward in itself that will last me a lifetime. To receive a nomination from the Academy on top of that is a privilege beyond any expectation. It has been an exceptional year for acting, and I am honored to be in the company of these talented actors whose performances all deserve this recognition.” — Angelina Jolie, best-actress nominee for Changeling

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“I am so honored to be nominated for a film in which I am so proud and to be included with such a wonderful and talented group of women. It was an honor to work with [director Darren Aronofsky] and the rest of the cast and crew of The Wrestler. Congratulations to Mickey [Rourke], for an extraordinary performance.” Marisa Tomei, best supporting actress nominee for The Wrestler. Rourke received a best-actor nomination for his role in that film.
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“It’s everything that you could possibly imagine it is, and not that I needed the nomination to know I was on the right path, but it certainly helps. It really does.” — Viola Davis, supporting-actress nominee for Doubt

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“I couldn’t have imagined anything like this a couple years ago. You just do your work and are happy you’re able to make some money. This is very, very special, especially because of the movie. It wasn’t that I read this character and said, `I have to do this character.’ It was more about the movie.” — Josh Brolin, supporting-actor nominee for Milk

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“I didn’t know at first what awards we’d won, and when I finally found out, I thought it was pretty great. To have as many as eight is pretty good.” — Milk director Gus Van Sant, who received a best-director nomination for the film

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“I am overjoyed by these nominations and deeply grateful that the Academy has embraced the music of this film. Slumdog Millionaire has paid magical dividends for so many people around the globe. I am deeply honored to be a part of a film that has inspired so many.” — A.R. Rahman, nominee for original score and original song

“I’m delighted for Kate. I think she did two astonishing performances in Revolutionary Road and in The Reader. Whichever one the Academy went for, I think it’s her year. I think it’s her turn. I think that it’s wonderful for her, but I do think she’s done two astonishing performances.” — Stephen Daldry, director of The Reader. Winslet received a best-actress nomination for her role in that film.

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“I’m extremely happy to have been nominated. And very fortunate. Playing Hanna Schmitz will always remain one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever been blessed with. I’m genuinely thrilled, not just for myself, but for the wonderful Stephen Daldry and David Hare. These nominations are a testament to their unwavering commitment to this film. And I’m also very happy for all the people in Germany whose hard work on `The Reader’ has been rewarded by these nominations. Surely Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack are smiling down on us today!” — Kate Winslet, best-actress nominee for The Reader.

Images: Rachel Getting Married, Sony Pictures, 2008; Mickey Rourke, Newscom; Revolutionary Road, DreamWorks Distribution, 2008

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More after the jump…

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Now they’re helming an untitled comedy – formerly known as “Safety Man” -with John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei in talks to star. This will be the Duplass brothers’ studio directing debut, from a script they penned.

The story centers on a recently divorced man (Reilly) who meets the woman of his dreams (Tomei). She has a teenage son (Hill) who has no interest in sharing his mother with a new man.

It sounds like a great cast, and with the Duplass brothers helming, I’ll be looking out for this one. They’re currently in post-production on the indie comedy “The Do-Deca Pentathlon.”

Image: Jay and Mark Duplass, Baghead, Sony Pictures Classics, 2008

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