INTI Orion.com

Compiled by YEE XIANG YUN

If you are a wrestling fan, be it a proud one or a closet one, you will love The Wrestler. Some may think – why watch a movie about a fake sport to begin with? Well, you will be surprised about this one.
The Wrestler tells a story of a down and out wrestler, who is trying to find his way in life. The story shies away from the glamour of sports entertainment and is instead focused on how wrestler Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson, played by Mickey Rourke, gets by everyday through earning minimum wages and doing something he loves – wrestling.

In the first scene itself, the movie shows the hardships a wrestler has to go through as Randy comes back home after a house show (wrestling event) to find out that his trailer is being locked by the tenant because of overdue rent.
He has to juggle working at a supermarket during weekdays and wrestling during weekends with just barely to get by.
The story hits a turning point when Randy suffers a heart attack and has to retire from wrestling.

After a heart bypass, Randy realizes that he is all alone with neither family nor friends except for a stripper named Cassidy played by Marisa Tomei. He tries to patch things up with his 20 something daughter, whom he left behind when she was younger. However, trying as he did, he kept repeating the same mistakes and failed to connect with her.

All the heartbreaks of everyday life takes its toll on Randy until he snaps and quits his job at the supermarket and decides to return to the ring for one last match.

Cassidy tries to stop Randy from fighting his final match due to his feeble heart condition but he simply answers her, “Out there, everyone hurts me, here is where I belong”.

Randy wrestles his arch-nemesis; Ayotollah for his finale match using his signature move. The movie basically illustrates the challenges that a wrestler has to go through. Many people may think that the movie is a sham, but it truly shows how professional the wrestlers are. Behind the antagonistic persona, wrestlers do in fact look out for each other.

I really feel for Randy as he tries to make amends for his past mistakes but to no avail. It shows how professional wrestling ought to be. The movie’s success is largely due to Rourke’s performance and it somewhat did the professional wrestling industry some form of justice.

The big guys are given a fair and balanced portrayal for a change. At the end of the day, who does not love a heartwarming movie about a guy working things out in life? Even if it involves huge sweaty guys beating the living day lights out of each other?

Check out The Wrestler in cinemas soon.