The Wrestler

Mickey Rourke is back.

He earned the Academy Awared nomination - but Sean Penn took home the statue. Was Sean Penn better? Everyone seemed shocked when Rourke lost, and it can be argued that he's made enough enemies in Hollywood that they just won't give him the prize. He certainly did a great job in this movie, but one thing came to mind throughout. How much was he acting?

Sean Penn actually *became* Harvey Milk and did a fantastic acting job. Mickey Rourke was gritty, intense, real, but maybe the cameras just followed him around in his normal life and got alot of that footage.... just joking but it did come to mind. Maybe the old trailer 'The Ram' lives in is really his..... no sets needed for this movie!

This movie has been called "depressing" but I don't think that's accurate. It's reality, it's gritty, it's close up, it's unflattering - I guess that is a bit depressing. But it's actually a good story, of a man who was on top and 20 years later never moved on. I think a similar story plays out all too often here in America. How many people have had their few fleeting moments of "fame" and then have to deal with regular old life afterward? We're shown here that it can be a tough and bitter pill to swallow. Especially those who never grew past that time and didn't evolve.

Marisa Tomei is the only other lead in the movie and she is fabulous as a stripper. She is a wonderful actress. With a combination of perkiness and beauty and sweetness, she shines in the midst of the raunchiest settings and wearing the worst outfits (or nothing at all). It's really unfair that she seems to not have aged much at all since My Cousin Vinny (a favorite). *sigh*

It's not a cheerful movie, it's a slow paced, thoughtful, up close look at reality. We give it a 4.

earthdad and I liked this one - the popcorn was great - our buddy Super-Manager Shane was at the Pueblo Tinseltown box office and always a pleasure to see. It was a good afternoon at the movies.