Posted on 01/12/2009 8:09:56 AM PST by JoeProBono
I have an Academy screener of “The Wrestler”. I love it. I have loved him since “Body Heat”. I hope his comeback sticks.
You don’t think Clint Eastwood or Kurt Russell are handsome.
Most women do. I’ve heard many say so.
He didn't appear on the Hawaiian shirt thread...so cannot be even considered ...these are all the same guy ...they just keep changing the glasses
Ah, the Kenmore...
Those were the days.
Thank you for the pic. Perhaps Hopper played some part in Rourke’s comeback.
He, Eric Roberts and Darryl Hannah.
Great supporting cast in Geraldine Page, M Emmet Walsh, Burt Young.
"CHARLIE!!! THEY TOOK MY THUMB!!!"
What a great movie.
I always thought Mickey Rourke should have been in Pulp Fiction in place of Bruce Willis.
He’s a true biker and he’s a helleva boxer.
Big mistake, Quenton!! LOL!
So have I. I admitted my taste might not be with the majority. Nevertheless, taste is subjective and beauty is in the optical appendage of the observer. Good thing, otherwise only the stunning and gorgeous would ever mate.
ooh, ooh, ooh- wait a minute.
Ty Pennington IS hot! Kinda wacky looking but it works for him.
Dunno
After a long holiday of cookies and rice pudding, we’ve gotten our lazy asses off our desks and into the movie theater. We spent the holiday watching Will Smith get all worked up over Seven Pounds…cringed as Tom Cruise tried to kill Hitler in Valkyrie…and pretty much bawled our eyes out at the end of Marley & Me. We know…it’s just a dog…but gosh darn it…that puppy was cute. All of those harsh celluloid memories faded away after we had the pleasure of seeing Mickey Rourke do the impossible…make a comeback in The Wrestler.
We’re huge boxing movie fanatics. Rocky, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Raging Bull…and we think this should join the ranks. Mickey Rourke gives what might be the best performance of a lifetime. Here, all of his plastic surgery, crazy antics, and purported drug abuse make this character that much more complex. At times, watching The Wrestler, we’re really not sure if Rourke is playing himself or the character…but it just doesn’t matter. This is one of the most powerful performances in a sports film in a very long time.
Rourke plays a down and out wrestler who knows that his career is coming to an end. He senses it in every fiber of his being and it shows with every move he makes. He’s tired, beaten, and just ready for life to give him some peace. But, giving up for him isn’t that easy…he’s a fighter and that’s all he knows how to do.
There are some great supporting characters in the film. Marisa Tomei plays a stripper who befriends Rourke’s character early in the film. Their lives parallel each other, yet they just can’t seem to connect. Marisa plays the dramatic part well and never gives in to the cliched stripper antics. We know what you’re thinking…yes, she’s naked…and to quote from Seinfeld…“They are real and they are spectacular.”
Evan Rachel Wood plays Rourke’s daughter and she portrays the complicated abandoned character perfectly. She doesn’t want to forgive her dad…even if the audience wants her to…it’s a brave choice of storytelling, but her character really rings true.
Directed by the amazingly talented, Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler is a tour de force of powerful cinematic decisions instilled with an astonishing amount of restraint. This particular movie is where Aronofsky really shines. In some of his earlier work, including Pi and Requiem For A Dream, Mr. Aronofsky created fantastic films. If there were any flaws in his earlier work, it was his inability to remove himself as a filmmaker and just let the movie play out. Here, he clearly learned some life lessons and never lets himself interfere with great, simple storytelling.
We say check out The Wrestler if you get a chance and find out why Rourke got his Golden Globe. You might be pleasantly surprised.
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