So, I dragged the same person to this that I saw Twilight with since let’s be honest she owed me one. I sat through two hours of that narcissistic vampire wannabe high school bullshit, the least she can do is watch an Oscar nominated film with me.
Mickey Rourke was extremely believable. I actually forgot the actor playing the man in spandex losing a war of attrition against himself, and for those of you who read my review of Dark Knight know how important that is to me. Though I had trouble believing that a guy who’s gimmick was that he’s has some of the characteristics of a ram (fleece and all) and who’s finishing move is a diving headbutt (the same move that is widely regarded as the reason Chris Benoit had much of his brain damage). I guess I can kind of see it as one of the most popular wrestlers was known as the ‘The Texas Rattlesnake’ and another was the ‘The Brahma Bull’ Chris Benoit was known for many years as ‘The Rabid Wolverine’… so in retrospect his gimmick of ‘The Ram’ is a bit plausible, he was just missing a descriptor. (Randy “The Randy Ram” Robinson)?
Marisa Tomei was in the same league as Rourke, but she never ceased to be the actress I’ve had a crush on since Oscar and My Cousin Vinny, which has more to do with me than her acting ability. I did have an issue with her dialogue when she refers to 80’s bands such ‘Crue’ and ‘Def Lep’… its seemed a bit forced, mind you if I ever have to do a scene where I talked about how great Motley Crue and Def Leopard were… yeah, I’d probably walk off the set on principle.
Randy’s relationship with his daughter struck a chord with me as it reminded me of my relationship with my parents. It’s amazing how easily a mom and/or a dad can become a mother and/or a father through absentee parenting. I found Rachel Evan Wood’s performance quite identifiable as I’ve felt like I’ve been in her situation just not to the extreme shown in the film.
Watching the film, I found myself emotionally invested in his life and sadly watched as he made one bad decision after another. And then as he has one last moment choose between life and glory he says something poignant to Tomei:
“The only place I get hurt is out there. The world don’t give a shit about me.”
It really sent the whole movie home. Here was a man who spent the vast majority of his adult life wearing down his body night after night and the only thing he had when all was said and done was his dignity and the adulation of the crowd. His daughter never wanted to see him again, going into the ring this last time went against his doctor’s orders, and his stripper girlfriend is now nowhere to be seen. His heart straining, short on breath, but at least he can finish one last match on top.
I walked out of the theater wondering what became of him. (Spoilers here) The ending leaves you hanging. You don’t know if he actually turned around his life or not, or even if he’s still alive at the end. I walked out thinking… ‘Huh… that… was an ending’.
The message they send you home with is that: In the end Randy “The Ram” Robinson was only good at one thing and that was being a professional wrestler. One of the hardest jobs, anywhere.
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