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April 2009
The Wrestler (DVD REVIEW)

by Kam Williams

The Wrestler (DVD REVIEW)

Actors: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTS
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Fox Searchlight
DVD Release Date: April 21, 2009
Run Time: 111 minutes
DVD Extras: “Within the Ring,” a no holds barred one on one with real wrestlers and filmmakers, “The Wrestler” music video performed by Bruce Springsteen, and Fox trailers.



   





















DVD Features Mickey Rourke’s Oscar-Nominated Performance as Comeback Kid

Rarely does the trajectory of an actor’s life parallel that of a person he’s portraying on screen as closely as Mickey Rourke’s does in this Oscar-nominated performance. Consequently, while watching The Wrestler, it’s hard to ignore the similarities between the title character’s quest for redemption and Rourke’s own career comeback bid.

In the film, he plays Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a pro wrestler well past his prime living in a trailer park in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Randy’s been reduced to stocking shelves at a supermarket just to pay the rent, although he still harbors a dream of somehow recapturing the magic of his glory days.

That humbling road back has him dividing his weekends between wrestling in front of small crowds in modest arenas and signing autographs for fans at memorabilia shows. Finally, a potential big payday arrives when a promoter offers to arrange a rematch against The Ayatollah (Ernest Miller), the arch-rival he hasn’t faced in twenty years.

Unfortunately, the Rocky-like road to resurrection is paved not only with good intentions and a rigorous training regimen but with plenty of potential potholes, too. First, Randy’s evicted for falling behind in rent, and has to move into his car. Then, he whips himself into game shape with the help of steroids, free weights, a bleach rinse and a tanning machine, only to suffer a heart attack during a warm-up bout. After life-saving bypass surgery, the surgeon warns him that it’s time to hang up his stretchy pants for good.

Will “The Ram” return to the ring for the scheduled rematch with his nemesis, or will he heed his doctor’s orders and fade disgracefully into the sunset? Though undeniably raw, realistic and relentlessly-grim, The Wrestler is also a riveting and emotionally-engaging mood piece which never hits a false note.

Don’t allow yourself to be put off by the pedestrian backdrop, for the movie is likely to resonate even with folks who feel pro wrestling is phony. Credit goes to Mickey Rourke for the deep psychic pain etched in his face in every frame that makes it easy to forget that the story is revolving around a “sport” where every contest is orchestrated and the outcomes are fixed.