The Wrestler

I never got around to seeing The Wrestler in theaters, so my brother graciously let me use his Netflix account to rent the film (I canceled mine due to the fact that I'd stopped using it).

Man, I am so glad I finally sat down and watched this. It's a film for the ages -- a richly affecting drama -- and Mickey Rourke's performance is spellbinding. Without Rourke, we probably wouldn't care a lick for Randy "The Ram" Robinson, the past-his-prime professional wrestler; especially if you're not a fan of pro wrestling like myself. Heck, we non-fans would more than likely be bored to tears without Rourke. But, his performance keeps us attached to him, to the point of the ending bringing many (including myself) to tears.

Yes, the film becomes somewhat predictable once Randy retires -- you know he's going to get back into the ring in the end, you know he's going to screw things up with his daughter, you know things aren't going to work out with Pam, etc., but the rich characterization and direction trumps all. Even all the questionable sexual content throughout is forgiven in the end.

The Wrestler is nigh perfection. Easily tops Slumdog Millionaire as the best film I've seen from 2008.

(out of 5)