THE WRESTLER

Just caught the The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke. I thought he did an absolutely wonderful job portraying an aging wrestling star, The Ram, who is forced to deal with a career coming to an end, money woes, medical problems that threaten his life and livelihood, a relationship with his daughter that is little more than nonexistent, and his desire as well for a romance with an older stripper who is afraid to establish anything more than a dancer-client arrangement. Although Rourke clearly has problems in the real world, he still can produce a stirring role on the screen. Marisa Tomei, in addition to being a beautiful woman, also gives a strong performace. I liked that the director did not try to make it too sappy. This is a solid, enjoyable movie. I think the best scene is when The Ram is at a signing event for former wrestlers, and he looks around at all the broken bodies and dreams.