The Wrestler-A Sports Film with Authenticity

While there having been many films about sport, none have struck such a resonant chord as The Wrestler (2009). It is my favorite sports film.

Mickey Rourke was enthralling in the movie. As Randy "The Ram" Robinson, he played a character that was a barely recognizable shell of his former self.

In some ways, Rourke's real-life paralleled that of his character. In the mid-1980's Rourke was a handsome leading man with a future that seemed bright. A decade later, that brightness was gone, thanks to erratic behavior. Rourke quit acting in 1991 for four-year stint in professional boxing. Pugilism left him with a twice-broken nose and a smashed cheek bone.[1] It took a number of plastic surgeries to repair his face.

By the 2000s, Hollywood was all but done with Rourke.

Like Rourke, Randy Robinson, as a pro wrestler, was on top of the world in the 1980s. By the 2000s, he was broken down and forced to find scraps of work in pro wrestling's independent promotion scene, which is where workers are either on the way up or the way out.

To see Rourke playing a character whose life is quite like his own, added to the drama for me.

I also was drawn in by the authentic nature of the film. In addition to meeting several wrestlers during my years of training in various gyms, I also worked in the business briefly for a time.

I can verify that things like promoters stiffing workers on paydays were all too real. Wrestlers' pre-match confab is a standard procedure. Wrestlers hiding razors in wrist tape to cut their selves is how it is really done, as is wrestlers calling moves to one another during the match.

The local color provided by director Darren Aronofsky and writer Robert Siegel was highly effective. The Wrestler was filmed in New Jersey. Many real-life wrestlers who would be the same age as Randy Robinson lived in The Garden State. The proximity to major cities and airports made it easy for them to make bookings.

New Jersey also has a bustling independent pro wrestling scene. Further, many current New Jersey based wrestlers were used in the film.[2]

The use of New Jersey's Asbury Park as well as Bruce Springsteen (perhaps the most famous New Jersey resident) also added layers to the film.

Finally for me, the acting was first-rate. The principal actors played it close, unraveling their emotional core in a paced process. There was no "indicating"- a term used to describe overacting.

This is the best wrestling film ever done.

I wonder if The Wrestler will spawn more films set in the pro wrestling business. If so, they have an excellent example to use as a bench mark.

[1] BANG Showbiz. "Mickey Rourke regrets plastic surgery." February 20, 2009.

[2] Shabe, John. "Jersey Pro Wrestlers May Have Helped Inspire The Wrestler." New Jersey.com.