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The Wrestler

United States, France

2008

111 Min
Color
2.35:1
English
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
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DIR Darren Aronofsky

EXEC Vincent Maraval, Agnès Mentre, Jennifer Roth

PROD Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin

SCR Robert D. Siegel

DP Maryse Alberti

CAST Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry, Wass Stevens, Judah Friedlander, Ernest Miller, Scott Siegel, Andrea Langi

ED Andrew Weisblum

PROD DES Tim Grimes

MUSIC Clint Mansell

Venice (Competition): Golden Lion, Toronto (Special Presentations), AFI FEST (Gala), New York (Closing Night), Karlovy Vary (Horizons), Stockholm (American Independents)

Synopsis

“I don’t hear as good as I used to, and I forget stuff, and I ain’t as pretty as I used to be, but goddamn it, I’m still standing here. Randy The Ram Robinson is a lonely professional wrestler pushing 50, who can now only look back on a once glorious career. These days, regional exhibition matches have replaced screaming headlines in sports magazines, and when he starts to have health problems, The Ram knows he’s at one of life’s major crossroads. After the opulently mystical The Fountain, Darren Aronofsky opted for a realistic drama that draws on the heritage of 1970s American films, specifically John Huston’s Fat City. The main role is depicted with excellence by Mickey Rourke, who "starred” last fall in one of the most closely watched comebacks of recent years, culminating in a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination. His own experience in the boxing ring enriched his portrayal of the veteran wrestler, as did Aronofsky’s restrained, authenticity-based directing style. —Karlovy Vary

Director

Original

Darren Aronofsky

Darren Aronofsky was born February 12, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up, Darren was always artistic: he loved classic movies and, as a teenager, he even spent time doing graffiti art. After high school, Darren went to Harvard University to study film (both live-action and animation). He won several film awards after completing his senior thesis film, “Supermarket Sweep”, starring Sean Gullette, which went on to becoming a National Student Academy Award finalist. Aronofsky didn’t make a feature film until five years later, in February 1996, where he began creating the concept for Pi (1998). After Darren’s script for Pi (1998) received great reactions from friends, he began production. The film re-teamed Aronofsky with Gullette, who played the lead. This went on to further successes, such as Requiem for a Dream (2000) and, most recently, the American remake of the Japanese film series “Lone Wolf and Cub” (1973). —IMDb 

Wall

Displaying 4 of 72 wall posts.
Picture of Electrus Amadeus Magnus

Electrus Amadeus Magnus

8Apr13

Barton Fink's dream has finally come true.

Midnight Cowboy likes this

Picture of Baby Rocco

Baby Rocco

27Mar13

I've always been fan of Rourke, whether his movies were lousy or not. I truly adore the guy, so, it was especially nice that he was able to redeem himself with role. Definitely a resilent spirit!

Picture of kopfkompass

kopfkompass

17Jan13

Ein Abgesang auf ein überholtes Modell amerikanischer Männlichkeit. Nicht schön, aber wertvoll.

Picture of Mr.Wolf

Mr.Wolf

14Jan13

Knowing that Rourke really gave it his all in this movie, that it was a personal battle for him, turned this into 5 star to top favorite movies.

Related Films

Fans

Displaying 5 of 4663 fans.

Articles

Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
W184

Technicians and Artists

By Ignatiy Vishnevetsky on December 7, 2010

Darren Aronofsky: a resourceful technician (Pi) of considerable range but little imagination (Requiem for a Dream), after attempting an artwork

read article
W184

Venice and TIFF 2010. Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan"

By David Hudson on August 31, 2010

The very first rumblings from the Lido are raves. Most of us can't see Mike Goodridge's review for Screen, but Awards Daily can, so here

read article
W184

pages from a cold island: LIFE CLASSES/LIFE MODEL

By Neil Young on April 21, 2009

Bruises from your head to your toeThere are marks all over you There's no place for you to hideSince they painted you black and blueThe Auteurs

read article

TIFF Review: THE WRESTLER

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
The prints of Darren Aronofsky’s new film, The Wrestler, have barely dried (or what is the digital equivalent?) and already it has won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival and is on its way, possibly
read on Twitchfilm.com

TIFF Review: THE WRESTLER

By Twitchfilm.net on July 16, 2010
The prints of Darren Aronofsky’s new film, The Wrestler, have barely dried (or what is the digital equivalent?) and already it has won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival and is on its way, possibly
read on Twitchfilm.net

Lists

Displaying 5 of 602 lists.

Reviews

Displaying 4 of 12

[23] The Wrestler

By fleurar​e on May 3, 2013

It is a towering creative achievement whereby those who have imagined this story for Randy ‘the Ram’ Robinson follow a script of emotional depth, integrity and fascinating character development. The…  read review

The Wrestler shed bloods, still wins

By Todd Kushige​machi on July 1, 2012

(Originally posted at www.tkatthemovies.com)

For most of its gripping 110 minutes, Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler successfully challenges the safety of sports-themed redemption tales. Using…  read review

RAM

By marcdon​i on December 4, 2010

“O lutador” é um belíssimo filme. Não vou falar das atuações de Mickey Rourke ou de Marisa Tomei, deslumbrante; pois muitos já falaram a respeito. São outros os motivos que me fazem achar este filme…  read review

Mickey Roarke deserved an Oscar

By earman on October 21, 2010

Wrestling is a fantasy sport primarily enjoyed by the working class to release their pent up anger and provide them with a living breathing hero. The Wrestler provides an entertainment by using his…  read review

Forum

Displaying 2 discussion topics.

Was "The Wrestler" really a great film or just another Rocky

63 posts by 37 people over 1 year ago

the wrestler - springsteen

4 posts by 4 people over 4 years ago