Cool News
THE WRESTLER Gets Distribution *And* Another Positive Review!
Beaks here...
Darren Aronofsky had an interesting weekend: his fourth film, THE WRESTLER, received the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, screened to (mostly) acclaim at the Toronto Film Festival, and found distribution through Fox Searchlight (which will give the film an Oscar qualifying release this year). Though Time's Richard Corliss may not agree, I think it's all incredibly well-deserved - particularly after the undeserved critical drubbing of THE FOUNTAIN in 2006.
I'm sure we'll have an abundance of reviews pouring in as THE WRESTLER continues to screen this week up in Toronto. Hopefully, they'll all be as impressed as this one from JA.
Hey gang,
First and foremost, anyone who goes into "The Wrestler" expecting to see something in the visually unrelenting vein of "Requiem for a Dream" or "The Fountain" is going to be sorely disappointed. This is a small movie in practically every way, and Darren Aronofsky completely re-invents himself as a director here by opting to put copious amounts of emphasis on the characters of the story rather than how he actually shoots it. The movie's workmanlike aesthetic is kinda reminiscent of the small, gritty films of the seventies and it's refreshing to see Aronofsky cut through his (admittedly beautiful) superfluities and deliver something as raw and low key as this. This is a movie that was designed around it's lead, and everything you've heard about Rourke in this movie so far is absolutely, 100% true.
As most of you already know, "The Wrestler" tells the story of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a washed-up, former pro wrestler from the 1980's. Unfortunately, the Ram is broke and the film follows him through his day to day exploits that include wrestling at public schools, signing autographs at the local community centre and being the most charismatic/scary deli worker in New Jersey. After one particularly brutal match (that had the entire audience I saw the film with cringing) though, Randy's lifestyle takes it's toll on him and he has a heart attack and collapses backstage. After emergency surgery, the doctors tell him that he has to give up his life of wrestling and the Ram has to make a decision about whether to leave his old life behind for good, or fight one last 20th anniversary match against his most famous rival "The Ayatollah." Along the way, Randy also tries to re-connect with his estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) and finally seal the proverbial deal with Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), a stripper he's been not-so-secretly pining for for years. We've seen what ensues countless times before, but rarely done as well as it is here, so it's easy to forgive the film for being as simple as it turns out to be.
Mickey Rourke is the anchor of "The Wrestler" and it's unfathomable to me that anyone else, especially Nicholas Cage, could have been considered for the role (though those long, bleached blonde locks would have made for one hell of a hairpiece) Mickey's performance in this movie is simultaneously angry, fragile, inspiring, funny and above all else, super, super brave. Aronofsky was smart to hire an actor who could run the gamut of emotions Rourke is required to hit in this movie and there is an added strength in some of the more poignant scenes when you realize that the shit Mickey is saying could easily be an autobiographical diatribe. The last scene in particular is so wildly, viscerally ALIVE that it's almost intimidating to watch Rourke's performance. He's that good and better in this movie and the talk of him being nominated for an Oscar is, for once, completely warranted.
While Marisa Tomei doesn't get as much to do in the movie as Cassidy, the stripper that The Ram is completely infatuated with (yeah, she gets really, really naked), she gives a fantastic performance as another character who has been perpetually weathered by time and her occupation. While Mickey's character is more willing to let people in, Tomei's is completely closed to the idea of being able to really, truly connect with anyone else and it makes the relationship between them heartbreakingly fruitless. Evan Rachel Wood doesn't fare as well as Randy's daughter, though, and Aronofsky unwisely let her spend way too much time dialed up to eleven. While you can understand her resentment towards a father who hasn't even tried to speak with her in years, she's portrayed as such a bitch that it's really hard to sympathize with her. I'm not sure whether the fault is Wood's or the script though.
Robert D. Siegel, whose only other writing credit is "The Onion Movie," has written a fairly surprising script here, so I feel like an asshat calling it the movie's only real downfall. While the writing is definitely good *enough*, there was so much potential and talent on display here that the (at times a little too maudlin and formulaic) screenplay is the only thing holding the film back from becoming a minor classic. Once again, Clint Mansell is onboard to score and while the music he has written for "The Wrestler" is beautiful, it's used so sparsely in the movie that it's hard to gain a proper appreciation for it. (You can hear some of it at: http://www.myspace.com/mansellclint) Instead, Aronofsky opts to use a lot of metal and rock from the 80's. I believe this is the first time he's used popular songs in one of his films, and for the most part, it works to a great effect ("Sweet Child o'Mine" is a moment that really stands out)
Overall, I think "The Wrestler" marks a growth for Darren Aronofsky as a director. While "Pi" and "Requiem for a Dream" were both great films, I think that perhaps he learnt a lesson about relying too much on the visual aspect of his films with "The Fountain," a movie that had so much potential but ultimately rang hollow to me. The performance he's wrangled out of Rourke is the best that he's ever gotten from an actor and the best that Rourke has given. While I'm having a hard time deciding whether I like the movie or the performance more, both are so good that I think they'll definitely stick out this Oscar season. This is the very definition of "little movie that could" and Aronofsky has further cemented his reputation as one of the greatest filmmakers of this generation while managing to blow the dust off of Mickey's veritable and oft-forgotten 'icon' status.
First and foremost, anyone who goes into "The Wrestler" expecting to see something in the visually unrelenting vein of "Requiem for a Dream" or "The Fountain" is going to be sorely disappointed. This is a small movie in practically every way, and Darren Aronofsky completely re-invents himself as a director here by opting to put copious amounts of emphasis on the characters of the story rather than how he actually shoots it. The movie's workmanlike aesthetic is kinda reminiscent of the small, gritty films of the seventies and it's refreshing to see Aronofsky cut through his (admittedly beautiful) superfluities and deliver something as raw and low key as this. This is a movie that was designed around it's lead, and everything you've heard about Rourke in this movie so far is absolutely, 100% true.
As most of you already know, "The Wrestler" tells the story of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a washed-up, former pro wrestler from the 1980's. Unfortunately, the Ram is broke and the film follows him through his day to day exploits that include wrestling at public schools, signing autographs at the local community centre and being the most charismatic/scary deli worker in New Jersey. After one particularly brutal match (that had the entire audience I saw the film with cringing) though, Randy's lifestyle takes it's toll on him and he has a heart attack and collapses backstage. After emergency surgery, the doctors tell him that he has to give up his life of wrestling and the Ram has to make a decision about whether to leave his old life behind for good, or fight one last 20th anniversary match against his most famous rival "The Ayatollah." Along the way, Randy also tries to re-connect with his estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood) and finally seal the proverbial deal with Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), a stripper he's been not-so-secretly pining for for years. We've seen what ensues countless times before, but rarely done as well as it is here, so it's easy to forgive the film for being as simple as it turns out to be.
Mickey Rourke is the anchor of "The Wrestler" and it's unfathomable to me that anyone else, especially Nicholas Cage, could have been considered for the role (though those long, bleached blonde locks would have made for one hell of a hairpiece) Mickey's performance in this movie is simultaneously angry, fragile, inspiring, funny and above all else, super, super brave. Aronofsky was smart to hire an actor who could run the gamut of emotions Rourke is required to hit in this movie and there is an added strength in some of the more poignant scenes when you realize that the shit Mickey is saying could easily be an autobiographical diatribe. The last scene in particular is so wildly, viscerally ALIVE that it's almost intimidating to watch Rourke's performance. He's that good and better in this movie and the talk of him being nominated for an Oscar is, for once, completely warranted.
While Marisa Tomei doesn't get as much to do in the movie as Cassidy, the stripper that The Ram is completely infatuated with (yeah, she gets really, really naked), she gives a fantastic performance as another character who has been perpetually weathered by time and her occupation. While Mickey's character is more willing to let people in, Tomei's is completely closed to the idea of being able to really, truly connect with anyone else and it makes the relationship between them heartbreakingly fruitless. Evan Rachel Wood doesn't fare as well as Randy's daughter, though, and Aronofsky unwisely let her spend way too much time dialed up to eleven. While you can understand her resentment towards a father who hasn't even tried to speak with her in years, she's portrayed as such a bitch that it's really hard to sympathize with her. I'm not sure whether the fault is Wood's or the script though.
Robert D. Siegel, whose only other writing credit is "The Onion Movie," has written a fairly surprising script here, so I feel like an asshat calling it the movie's only real downfall. While the writing is definitely good *enough*, there was so much potential and talent on display here that the (at times a little too maudlin and formulaic) screenplay is the only thing holding the film back from becoming a minor classic. Once again, Clint Mansell is onboard to score and while the music he has written for "The Wrestler" is beautiful, it's used so sparsely in the movie that it's hard to gain a proper appreciation for it. (You can hear some of it at: http://www.myspace.com/mansellclint) Instead, Aronofsky opts to use a lot of metal and rock from the 80's. I believe this is the first time he's used popular songs in one of his films, and for the most part, it works to a great effect ("Sweet Child o'Mine" is a moment that really stands out)
Overall, I think "The Wrestler" marks a growth for Darren Aronofsky as a director. While "Pi" and "Requiem for a Dream" were both great films, I think that perhaps he learnt a lesson about relying too much on the visual aspect of his films with "The Fountain," a movie that had so much potential but ultimately rang hollow to me. The performance he's wrangled out of Rourke is the best that he's ever gotten from an actor and the best that Rourke has given. While I'm having a hard time deciding whether I like the movie or the performance more, both are so good that I think they'll definitely stick out this Oscar season. This is the very definition of "little movie that could" and Aronofsky has further cemented his reputation as one of the greatest filmmakers of this generation while managing to blow the dust off of Mickey's veritable and oft-forgotten 'icon' status.
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Colin Firth.
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Mickey Rourke, motherfuckers.
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good for rourke. he deserves it. cant wait to check out tomei's bush too.
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please?
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and the more I hear the more I want to see this movie
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and the more I hear the more I want to see this movie
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you silly bastard
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You old whoremaster.
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is probably one of the most intriguing movies I've heard of in a while. The behind-the-scenes of wrestling is such an odd place. I'm stoked.
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I is what I is
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Seriously, I know the guy has been in some absolute garbage. But even in trash, he's always interesting. Need proof? Sit through "White Sands." Terrible movie. But...he's interesting. Hopefully this is a renaissance for his career.
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I'll be there
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The critical drubbing of THE FOUNTAIN in 2006 was well, well welly-well deserved.
And I like this director's other work. This new flick sounds like a return to form. -
Suck because they are stupid.
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not getting an Oscar nod for Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man. Quite simply, one of our most underappreciated American films.
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that's like the cherry on the top of an Aronofsky Sundae!wait...did I just admit to being bisexual?
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BUT Tree of Life will be so much better.
Mallick >>>>>>>>>>>>Aronofsky. -
I hate these morons that run around acting like some sort of film intellectuals, when in reality they just follow the herd. The Fountain got divided reviews so the reviewer can't like that one... "It's hollow" you see. I guess the reviewer and The Fountain have something in common. Moron.
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...was great. First movie since childhood I've re-watched immediately upon finishing it. It's a love story from a perspective of a man; not about talking and sharing, but about stubbornness and fighting fate.
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I really want to see this movie, but that line kind of made me not want to listen to the reviewer...
The Fountain is truly one of the most beautiful films ever created. -
...to The Fountain. Give it time. I understand the issues people have with it. I have issues with it but I can watch it over again. Aronofsky is slowly buiding to making a masterpiece film down the line. I can see his growth as a filmmaker with each film. Easily, one of the most interesting filmmakers working today.
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I was in attendance at the Ring of Honor shows when "The Wrestler" was being filmed. Darren Aronofsky and Mickey Rourke were wonderful to hang with. Both men were respectful, listened to the wrestlers and were on their game.
As a wrestling fan myself, this film is dream. Mickey Rourke had his rough patch as being blacklisted for "being hard to work with". I know this to be true, he will admit it himself openly. I have followed his career since I was kid. Both Aronofsky and Rourke are wrestling fans. I have been around the "wrasslin" business for many years myself. I set up rings for indie promotions as a kid in Queens and Philadelphia. I won't name drop, but, the industry is very bizzare and fascinating, all at once. I saw many things a fifteen year old shouldn't see and worked for about a hundred bucks for 16 hours of work. You can hate wrestling, mock it, but respect the fans and the men and women whom sacrifice their well being for audience approval or disapproval. Before seeing the "The Wrestler", I strongly suggest watching "Beyond the Mat" and "The Backyard" to fully understand this business. Trust me, the real drama, heartbreak and triumph happens behind the scenes.
I feel the "The Wrestler" will do what "Rocky" did for boxing: it will humanize it.
The other night at a UFC party a group of my friends and I discussed "The Fountain" for nearly two hours. It is not a film for everyone, but, grossly misunderstood and a great film upon it's own merits.
"The Wrestler" will be a pleasant surprise even for non-wrestling fans. It was a project of love for Aronofsky, that alone speaks volumes of the work put in to make a great film.
www.myspace.com/jerryhorror
Have any wrestling questions? Or about the film, hit me up and we can discuss. I choose not to air out some of my experiences out of respect for the bussiness. -
"I will destroy him!" Is the wrestler taking care of an idiot man-child?
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Eat a bowl of dicks, pal. Trust me, no one is upset than I am that I didn't dig "The Fountain." I'll admit that it's a beautiful, insanely well-crafted movie but ultimately it just didn't affect me the way I thought it would. I don't know, maybe I oughta give it another watch - practically everyone else that I know loves it.
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That was supposed to say "more upset."
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The Ram vs Thunderlips vs Zeus in a Triple Threat Dildo On A Pole Cage Match!!!!
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Hopefully I don't offend anyone by derailing this topic a bit, but I wanted to note somewhere on AICN that it looks like wrestling MMA fighter Evan Tanner has passed away. http://tinyurl.com/6nbm3x The former UFC middleweight champion was a rare individual whose itinerant philosopher/wrestler life seemed strangely Socratic.
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..was great. Mogwai are awesome!!
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..why can't I find a trailer for this movie? Help!!
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....was a great movie to see but not necessarily to watch if that makes any sense at all. I'm disappointed that the director toned down his visual style for this one but all the reviews so far seem positive so I'll see it. Though I have to say that any movie getting the early Oscar nod scares me a bit. Example: "There will be Blood"...nuff said.
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I don't care - I feel compelled to post how excited I am about seeing Tomei REALLY naked, even though my frontal cortex knows how juvenile that is. The fact that she's now more of a milf, is even better.(/p)
(p)As for Arronofsky, I am ashamed to admit that the Fountain was one of the few movies I've tried to watch twice but couldn't. Anyone trying that hard for symbolism and melodrama looses me. It's as if he feels that reality itself is symbolic - I'm just too scientifically inclined, I guess, to find a meditation on love deserving of that kind of fantastical melodrama. Maybe I need to fall in love, though. I liked Pi, but found it and Requiem for a Dream beautiful, manipulative, artificial, and trying too hard to be profound and/or artistic genius. Although I did like his motives for telling the Pi story, but I didn't think it worked. -
Sorry guys, I should have elaborated more. Tomei doesn't do any full frontal in this movie, but there are many, many scenes where she's in nothing but a thong.
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Tarantinoholic, you should be strung up to be whipped for your careless transgression, and then released just beforehand for checking my expectations before they got too high.
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I'm sorry for committing this crime against humanity. I realize I've gotten other peoples' hopes up too, and for that, I apologize. But I promise you that what you *do* see in this movie will not disappoint you. At all. Not even a little bit.
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I am so happy D.A. has gotten some luck regarding this film. I'm one of the, (what I thought was few, but judging by this talkback, there's more than one of me) who thought The Fountain was a masterpiece. That and Jesse James, to me, were the best films of the year in '07. (Fountain came out Feb 07 in Oz.)
Hope this positive buzz transfers to mainstream success for him, if nothing else, just so I can see for films from him. -
After being taunted with the whip and released to great psychological distress, I then play with your mind some more by rewarding you with a cookie for then nudging my excitement back up.
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being a wrestling fan myself i'm really excited about this and Micky Rourke is just a bad ass and i'm glad that to hear hes really good in this.. as for tomei, sounds pretty good.. but didn't anyone see Before the devil knows your dead? she got pounded hard and she was walking around in just her panties lol!
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That's all I got.
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Seriously I can't wait to see this film big rourke fan especialy as the cook in spun and as The Baddest Motherfucker In Sin City as Marv.
This story really brings memories of Jake The Snake Roberts in beyond the mat -
extra crispy! tinyurl.com/67597v
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more often than not Pi isn't even mentioned. Why is that? Its a great little piece that combines elements of many genres without losing its direction. The word intimate was thrown in somewhere; I couldn't think of a more perfect adjective.As it stands, I haven't seen The Fountain so I'll be hunting it down this week, and Requiem has a great premise yet I'm still not entirely convinced it fully delivered. The Wrestler, however, looks to be everything I want - and more.
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R.I.P
a troubled soul who has thankful release now.
to be fair tho, anyone who goes camping in the desert alone may well have a death wish -
People seem to assume that a visually stunning film is automatically "hollow" or "style-over-substance", and yes, often it is the case. But The Fountain is one of the great exceptions. One of those films where even its flaws are perfect.
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the major selling point has now become Tomei's tatas, even though seeing Rourke in a successful character piece like this is absolutely wonderful news. I didn't care for him back in the day, but between his work in Sin City and Domino, I've become a real fan.
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How can that movie possibly ring hollow? It's one of the more deeply felt films in recent history, so deeply felt as to be transcendental. Underneath the cosmic/historical imagery is a simple story of a man's regret and loss. It's truly heartbreaking, one of the few works of art I've experienced in my lifetime that takes a path to the heart through the brain, managing to be both philosophical and heartbreaking. I think those who do not feel this way are not attuned to this type of philosophical feeling.
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One of the most iconic characters in all of English-language fiction. I'd put his portrayal of Marv up against anything Charles Laughton or Wallace Beery did back in Hollywood's golden era.
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Think of all the money they'd save not having to stick massive amounts of special effects. The guy is slowly turning to mush like an old Jack-O-Lantern.
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So, I wonder if this film came from Aronofsky watching BARTON FINK and being all, "BUT I want to make a wresting movie with heart."
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...sort of like challenging himself to see if he could do it ahahaha!
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I really like Aronofsky, but the Fountain wasn't good; no characterization, just a ponderous, hysterionic allegory thudding along. I'm really glad The Wrestler is getting good notices, and hope Aronofsky can keep making movies, but The Fountain never quite grew out of its concept to become an actual story, for me.
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regarding the similarities to jake the snake... I thought the same thing
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whats his finisher?
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but I thought Mickey Rourke's "comeback"
was in Sin City. -
I really love filmmakers like Aronofsky, The Coens and Danny Boyle who can make great films w/o getting stuck into one genre. Can't wait for this.Been a Mickey Rourke fan since Body Heat!
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is easily one of my favorite movies, it has the best score I've ever heard, some of the most imaginative and inventive cinmetography and vfx I've ever seen (with little or no CGI) and a hell of a performance from the Jackman. I guess I can see how it might turn some people off but it has affected me and my friends(we've all watched it at least 5 times) in a profound way and I love the everloving shit out of it. I would kill to see the 70 million dollar brad pitt/cate blanchett version...at least Pitt is gonna be in tree of life
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I agree bud! Especially with what you said about The Fountain really appealing to a certain type of person who is attuned to the "philosophical feeling" as you put it. this is not to say that people who don't like the film just don't get it (although i'm sure that is the case for a lot of your average movie goers, although I don't think most of the people who regularly visit this site fall under that category) I think it appeals to a certain type of person.
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anyone else remember that, with Rourke and Walken? was a really good idea (sounds not too far away from the plot of this Wrestler business), went badly wrong with script & finished product. that and the IRA film buried Rourke for a while, which was a shame. all this talk of Rourke for an Oscar is ace. if he and Heath wins, i am recording and keeping the ceremony just to preserve Jack, front row centre, having a shit fit.
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The themes are poorly developed, it has the pretense of being philosophically profound but is not. I'm sure most AICN readers think it's deep, but that is because they are allergic to reading books, and think that Kevin Smith is clever.
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Critics be damned. Nay. Critics be fucked!
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..has a lot of Marisa's Tomeis'. The only thing better than that in the movie, was the first time we see Ethan Hawkes character. I almost pissed my pants. But yes, M.T. is beautiful.
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"...rang hollow..." my ass. The Fountain is so full of meaning it's positively overflowing. I must have seen it a dozen times at the theatre and no matter how many times I see it on the big screen or the small, it's the singular most overwhelming movie experience I have ever had.
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