Here's to you, Mr. Robinson.

After spending a sufficient amount of time last Monday night preparing for the impending morning, I decided to view a film at the local theatre. After making a cost-benefit analysis of spending approximately two hours and twenty dollars, I purchased a ticket for “The Wrestler.” Before getting into any details, I would like to qualify the purpose of this post.

It would seem society’s love of entertainment stems from the fact that when properly crafted, entertainment can enhance a feeling or an emotion in a way not easily duplicated in day-to-day life. Therefore, in the spirit of my newfound love of the acoustic guitar coupled with the aforementioned realization, I bring to you a new category: Critical Acclaim. Within these posts, I will review entertainment that features aspects closely correlating with this web log’s ethos. So, without further ado …

“The Wrestler” stars Mickey Rourke (born Phillip Andre Rourke, Jr.) as Randy “The Ram” Robinson,” an over-the-hill professional wrestler who still wrestles professionally. Unpacking the sentence preceding this one, I employ wordplay to illustrate the phrase “over-the-hill;” this is obviously the director’s (Darren Aronofsky in a spell-binding turn) intention (footnote: there are only two flashback sequences I can recall; the first one being the title sequence itself, showing us “The Ram” in his prime). Although Randy is quite aware of his fall from grace, he continues to follow his passion as if the last twenty years of his precipitous decline was simply part of every professional wrestler’s career trajectory. To the audience however, we see a broken man who is completely delusional, suffering from a “dead” heart.

I would say the key word that permeates this script is “perception.” First and foremost, the perception that professional wrestling is “fake” is overturned by the reality of the physical, mental, and emotional punishment professional wrestlers endure. Two, Randy’s self-perception differs greatly from the people in his personal life and even different still from the fan base that still pays to see him perform. His daughter’s perception of him being unkempt, uncouth, and unreliable convinces him to make the decision that drives the narrative’s climax. Cassidy’s (hauntingly portrayed by a still-relevant Marisa Tomei) self-perception of how her career cannot afford her an authentic loving relationship, Randy’s perception of how she is beautiful and worthy of the very things she denies herself, and the audience’s understanding of her motivations and traits lying somewhere in between makes for a compelling character study. This thematic constant coupled with first-rate performances produced a thoroughly enjoyable film.

The downfall of the man whose greatest attribute becomes his greatest liability is obviously not a new story. However, to have the courage to follow one’s destiny, even if it means “the end,” is truly giving it all that one has. I would recommend this film to most of my co-workers, although I suspect some of the more graphic elements might upset a sensitive viewer.

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