"Last night, Kat and I were thumbing around channel 502. For those of you who have Cablevision, this channel is dedicated to watching shows and movies on various networks on YOUR schedule. Think of it as TiVo, except that you don't have to record anything or buy a device.
Anyway, on the FX Channel, there was this movie called The Wrestler. I've always wanted to see this movie, and heard great things about it, and so, we watched it.
All I can say is, "Wow!!!"
It is, simply put, the best wrestling movie ever made. Yes, that is like saying that Snooki is the best-looking girl on Jersey Shore (she is a spicy little meatball), but the movie is definitely worth your time. It focuses on Robin Ramzinski (Mickey Rourke), better known by his ring name Randy "The Ram" Robinson, who is a professional wrestler who became a celebrity in the 1980s. Think of him as an amalgam of Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Mick Foley, and Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
Twenty years later, he is now past his prime. Randy wrestles on weekends for independent promotions in New Jersey. A regular at a strip club, he befriends a stripper, Cassidy (Marisa Tomei). Though she is very beautiful, she is getting too old for her job, much like Randy. After winning a local match, Randy agrees to a proposed 20th anniversary rematch against his most notable opponent, "The Ayatollah" (Ernest Miller). Randy intensifies his training, which includes steroid injections.
At his next show, he wrestles in a hardcore match. After the match, Randy suffers a heart attack backstage. After he receives coronary artery bypass surgery, his doctor tells him that his heart can no longer handle the stress of wrestling. He retires and begins working a 9-to-5 shift behind the deli counter at the supermarket with a demeaning manager, Wayne (Todd Barry), who mocks Randy's wrestling background.
At the deli counter, a patron recognizes him as "The Ram", though Randy denies being the wrestler. Agitated, Randy cuts his thumb on the deli slicer machine and goes on a rampage in the store, before quitting. With nothing else left, he decides to return to wrestling. He reschedules the 20th anniversary rematch with "The Ayatollah" and turns down Cassidy's attempts at reconciliation, who warns him of his heart condition. He explains to her that he belongs in the ring with the fans who truly love him, unlike the rest of the world.
My wife, who is not a fan of the art of wrestling, and who used to shudder whenever I told my tales of being the "evil" ring announcer MaDD Mike (double D for double density and double intensity), loved this movie. It actually makes you feel for Mickey Rourke, and within five minutes, you forget he is Rourke, and believe him as Randy.
I don't want to give away the ending, partially because I can't. If you see the movie, you'll know what I am talking about. However, if you have not yet seen The Wrestler, I strongly urge you to do so."
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