I’m not sure when the last time Mickey Rourke had a starring role was. I would say it’s about the 1980s, but don’t quote me on that. His recent string of films include “Domino,” “Sin City,” and “Stormbreaker.” Other than “Sin City,” he hasn’t really had a big role or a recognizable role. Darren Aronofsky (“PI,” “Requiem for a Dream) decided to cast him in “The Wrestler” as Randy “The Ram” Robinson, the film’s main character.
It actually took some convincing on Aronofsky’s part. The studio was pressuring Aronofsky to get Nicolas Cage to play Randy.
I don’t mind Cage as an actor, but this role would not fit his persona. Rourke was the best choice for this film.
During the 1980s, Randy “The Ram” Robinson was at the top of his game in the sport of professional wrestling. As the years flew by, he got older and his image started to die. The muscles in his body begin to weaken, and his hearing is starting to dwindle away.
Outside of the ring, Randy doesn’t have much. He lives in a mobile home park and can barely make it by, sometimes having to spend nights in his van. He works at a deli during the week while his weekends are spent in the ring.
While he gets along well with the kids in the mobile home park and the other wrestlers, the only real friend he has is a stripper named Pam (Marisa Tomei). Even then, he only really sees her when she is working.
His wrestling career comes to a halt when he suffers a massive heart attack. Forced to retire, he looks to reconnect with his estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). Even though the doctor says he can’t wrestle anymore, he wants to fix things in his personal life and find a way to get back into the sport he loves.
Rourke’s story almost mirrors Randy’s. While he is no professional wrestler, Rourke has had experience in the boxing world. Pushing 60, Rourke has had a lot come up other than taking part in bad films. He got arrested on DUI charges and was also blamed for making homophobic comments.
The film symbolically and metaphorically recreates the life he has lived. Aside from “Sin City,” no one thought he could make a comeback and be a great actor ever again. But he’s proved his critics wrong.
Aronofsky doesn’t try to pull emotional strings; he just lets the tearjerker scenes come when they do. That’s the power of great acting and great directing. While Rourke is acting, it’s almost like he is talking to the viewer. Some quotes like “I’m an old, broke down piece of meat” and “I don’t want you to hate me” seem to reflect what Rourke wants to tell the people who have criticized him over the years.
I will admit I cried many times during this film. Rourke is remarkable in every scene. His facial expressions and emotions are as real as they could possibly get.
It’s like all these characters are facing tough times. Tomei is a single mother who spends her time stripping while Wood is a college student who has to discover if she wants to speak to her father after so many years of no communication.
Both actresses are amazing in their parts.
I remember growing up and watching professional wrestling. I knew it was fake in its acting and the match decisions. But the stunts pulled are real. The blood, the scars, everything is real.
There is a great song by Bruce Springsteen during the credits too.
I think this is coming to DVD next month and I will certainly get a copy.
Rating: 4 stars
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Happy-Go-Lucky and other late reviews
Before I get into my review, I had no idea what this movie was about. The only thing I knew about it was that it was up for a few Golden Globes. I hadn’t read any synopsis or anything on the film. I’m not familiar with the works of Mike Leigh or Sally Hawkins. After seeing this film, I would like to say that I will go back and watch all the movies they have done.
Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is an extremely optimistic primary school teacher. She is a 30-year-old single woman who lives life to the fullest with her best friend Zoe, who she also lives with. Poppy loves to get drunk with friends, teach at her school and share her optimism and happiness with even the most pessimistic people.
When her bike gets stolen, she looks around for it to see if it is nearby. After realizing it’s gone, she says “Oh I never got the chance to say goodbye.” This shows how cheerful she is. If my bike was stolen, I would be very upset.
Poppy still needs to obtain her driver’s license. Her instructor Scott has a serious attitude problem and takes out all his anger on Poppy. She doesn’t really flinch and she tries to make Scott happy but he doesn’t seem to respond to her cheeriness.
Is there a plot to this film? Not exactly. But that doesn’t stop us from enjoying what Sally is going to do next.
Poppy does grow up just a little bit though. When she sees one of the kids she teaches bully people around for no reason, she realizes she has to do something in order for him to stop. She calls the assistance for a social worker.
While she works the child problem out, she falls for her social worker and decides to date him. They both become the happiest couple I have ever seen on screen.
I have never felt so happy after watching a film. After countless years of watching movies, I won’t say this is the best movie ever made but it is one to even get the most cynical person happy about.
Hawkins is just downright cute and fits the role perfectly. Her ability to hold that smile and giggle for two hours may make people wonder if she is really that cheerful or just a very good actress. I’ll say she’s both.
Rating: 4 stars (out of 4)
And while I’m at it some very late reviews
Appaloosa 3.5/4 A good Western. Viggo plays second in command but comes out on top over Ed Harris.
Changeling 4/4 Clint Eastwood directs a powerful and devastating film. It needs to be seen more than once
Role Models 3/4 Formulaic but funny.
Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is an extremely optimistic primary school teacher. She is a 30-year-old single woman who lives life to the fullest with her best friend Zoe, who she also lives with. Poppy loves to get drunk with friends, teach at her school and share her optimism and happiness with even the most pessimistic people.
When her bike gets stolen, she looks around for it to see if it is nearby. After realizing it’s gone, she says “Oh I never got the chance to say goodbye.” This shows how cheerful she is. If my bike was stolen, I would be very upset.
Poppy still needs to obtain her driver’s license. Her instructor Scott has a serious attitude problem and takes out all his anger on Poppy. She doesn’t really flinch and she tries to make Scott happy but he doesn’t seem to respond to her cheeriness.
Is there a plot to this film? Not exactly. But that doesn’t stop us from enjoying what Sally is going to do next.
Poppy does grow up just a little bit though. When she sees one of the kids she teaches bully people around for no reason, she realizes she has to do something in order for him to stop. She calls the assistance for a social worker.
While she works the child problem out, she falls for her social worker and decides to date him. They both become the happiest couple I have ever seen on screen.
I have never felt so happy after watching a film. After countless years of watching movies, I won’t say this is the best movie ever made but it is one to even get the most cynical person happy about.
Hawkins is just downright cute and fits the role perfectly. Her ability to hold that smile and giggle for two hours may make people wonder if she is really that cheerful or just a very good actress. I’ll say she’s both.
Rating: 4 stars (out of 4)
And while I’m at it some very late reviews
Appaloosa 3.5/4 A good Western. Viggo plays second in command but comes out on top over Ed Harris.
Changeling 4/4 Clint Eastwood directs a powerful and devastating film. It needs to be seen more than once
Role Models 3/4 Formulaic but funny.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
David Fincher has directed many gruesome and violently bizarre films in his career. His director credits include “Seven,” “Fight Club,” and 2007’s “Zodiac.” He reunites with Brad Pitt for a third time to direct a loose adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story. While the previews make “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” seem like a film Tim Burton would direct, Fincher shows that he has a much different style than Burton.
The story opens in 2005. Hurricane Katrina is about to hit New Orleans. Caroline (Julia Ormond) is visiting her mother Daisy (Cate Blanchett). Daisy asks her daughter to read the diary of Benjamin Button,
Benjamin Button was born an unusual way. He was born in 1918 on the day America claimed victory of the First World War. Instead of being born like normal children are, Benjamin was born with health problems that are normally found in people who are aged 70 and older.
His mother dies while giving birth to him and his father becomes scared when he sees what his child is like. He snatches Benjamin from his house and drops him off in front of a porch of a retirement home. Queenie (Taraji P Henson), the caregiver of the home, takes Benjamin in and raises him.
People fear that Benjamin doesn’t have long to live. However, he is able to outlive the health problems and his health starts to improve the younger he gets.
He meets a young lady named Daisy. While they are both technically the same age, he doesn’t look like it so Daisy thinks he is much older than he actually is.
He knows from the moment he meets her, he’s in love.
They lose contact and meet again in the middle when they are both about the same age.
Benjamin is like the rest of us. He can’t reverse his age. He has to make a decision to be with Daisy the rest of his life as he grows younger and she grows older or to move on and realize what love he had is not possible under his condition.
David Fincher directs an amazing film, filled with incredible visuals from cinematographer Claudio Miranda. Eric Roth wrote the screenplay and has written a story so mesmerizing and heartbreaking that some may feel uncertain what to think after it’s over. I mean this in a very good way. It’s a lovely story and very captivating. Alexandre Despalt provided the score, which is both haunting and enchanting.
The film is nearly three hours long. Audiences these days have trouble sitting through a film that long. Some may complain that they liked the movie but it was too long. Roger Ebert once said, “A good movie is never too long and a bad movie is never too short.” I live by this quote whenever I see any film. This is not just a good film, but a miraculous one.
Rating: 4 stars (out of 4)
The story opens in 2005. Hurricane Katrina is about to hit New Orleans. Caroline (Julia Ormond) is visiting her mother Daisy (Cate Blanchett). Daisy asks her daughter to read the diary of Benjamin Button,
Benjamin Button was born an unusual way. He was born in 1918 on the day America claimed victory of the First World War. Instead of being born like normal children are, Benjamin was born with health problems that are normally found in people who are aged 70 and older.
His mother dies while giving birth to him and his father becomes scared when he sees what his child is like. He snatches Benjamin from his house and drops him off in front of a porch of a retirement home. Queenie (Taraji P Henson), the caregiver of the home, takes Benjamin in and raises him.
People fear that Benjamin doesn’t have long to live. However, he is able to outlive the health problems and his health starts to improve the younger he gets.
He meets a young lady named Daisy. While they are both technically the same age, he doesn’t look like it so Daisy thinks he is much older than he actually is.
He knows from the moment he meets her, he’s in love.
They lose contact and meet again in the middle when they are both about the same age.
Benjamin is like the rest of us. He can’t reverse his age. He has to make a decision to be with Daisy the rest of his life as he grows younger and she grows older or to move on and realize what love he had is not possible under his condition.
David Fincher directs an amazing film, filled with incredible visuals from cinematographer Claudio Miranda. Eric Roth wrote the screenplay and has written a story so mesmerizing and heartbreaking that some may feel uncertain what to think after it’s over. I mean this in a very good way. It’s a lovely story and very captivating. Alexandre Despalt provided the score, which is both haunting and enchanting.
The film is nearly three hours long. Audiences these days have trouble sitting through a film that long. Some may complain that they liked the movie but it was too long. Roger Ebert once said, “A good movie is never too long and a bad movie is never too short.” I live by this quote whenever I see any film. This is not just a good film, but a miraculous one.
Rating: 4 stars (out of 4)
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