The Wrestler

[Chad ochoseis]

I found it disappointing. Mickey Rourke did a fine acting job, and Marisa Tomei was OK as the stripper with a heart of gold, but the movie followed a pretty standard formula...washed up guy had it all, loses it all, gets on the road to recovery. If it's a happy ending, he overcomes incredible odds to get it all back and gets the woman in the process. If it's a tragedy, he almost gets it all back, but just barely misses.

If you live in a beat-up city in Jersey, you'll probably find someplace you recognize. I used to live about four blocks from the Acme supermarket where the Mickey Rourke character has to work when smacking folks down at the American Legion hall in Rahway doesn't pay the bills.

It wasn't bad. The wrestling scenes were pretty good and there's a pretty cool scene in the Acme when Mickey remembers that he's a wrestler and not a deli-counter dude. But the plot was pretty weak.

[Guest themetfairy]

I liked the film. I thought that it was good but not great, but that Mickey Rourke's superlative performance was incredible (although I still would give the Oscar to Sean Penn for Milk). I didn't like the hand-held camera technique, but it didn't bother me in this film as much as in most films. Kudos to the filmmakers for not taking the easy way out of some uncomfortable situations.

[metirish]

Mendoza Line wrote: Mickey Rourke did a fine acting job, and Marisa Tomei was OK as the stripper with a heart of gold, but the movie followed a pretty standard formula...washed up guy had it all, loses it all, gets on the road to recovery. If it's a happy ending, he overcomes incredible odds to get it all back and gets the woman in the process. If it's a tragedy, he almost gets it all back, but just barely misses. .

perfect summation for me...just watched this tonight. Liked it but wasn't blown away..not that I expected to be.

[Centerfield]

I concur with most of the thoughts in this thread that Rourke and Marisa Tomei were great but that the plot was cliche and boring. I thought the other wrestlers did a great job with their bit parts too.

And why didn't anyone tell me that Marisa Tomei was topless in this movie? These are things that need to be brought out. I almost skipped this film.

[Guest themetfairy]

Centerfield wrote: And why didn't anyone tell me that Marisa Tomei was topless in this movie? These are things that need to be brought out. I almost skipped this film.

You must have been in a Newborn Parent Haze. Everyone in the world except for you knew that!

[ashie62]

themetfairy wrote: I liked the film. I thought that it was good but not great, but that Mickey Rourke's superlative performance was incredible (although I still would give the Oscar to Sean Penn for Milk). I didn't like the hand-held camera technique, but it didn't bother me in this film as much as in most films. Kudos to the filmmakers for not taking the easy way out of some uncomfortable situations.

I thought Rourke carved up the screen while Penn relied on sentimentality