The Wrestler (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:204
Fresh:199
Rotten:5
Average Rating:8.3/10
Consensus: Mickey Rourke gives a performance for the ages in The Wrestler, a richly affecting, heart-wrenching yet ultimately rewarding drama.
Theatrical Release:16-01-2009
Synopsis: At first glance, Darren Aronofsky's THE WRESTLER may seem like a departure for the oftentimes frenetic filmmaker, and in some ways it is. When this story of a past-his-prime performer is compared... [More]
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Ernest "The Cat" Miller
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Reviews for The Wrestler
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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 5/5 |
An emotional smackdown. Rourke’s never been better, and the change of pace and texture suits Aronofsky perfectly. The Raging Bull of wrestling movies? Oh, go on then. Full Review |
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4/6 |
Aronofsky directs with unfussy candour, alternating between the intensity of the wrestling and the drabness of Randy’s ‘real’ life. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Aronofsky has pulled off that rare feat - he's made a great film about a niche subject that will delight wrestling fans and cineastes alike. And Rourke's performance is a knockout. Full Review |
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3/5 |
The weakness of Aronofsky’s film is that these various sentimental crises are framed with as much subtlety as Randy’s wildly overdue heart attack. The film lurches into a predictable panic about dying alone. Full Review |
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4/5 |
The Wrestler runs on what are admittedly pretty traditional lines for a sports film, yet runs on them with exhilarating speed and attack. I was waiting for a cop-out ending, but it never arrived. Full Review |
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4/5 |
Not only has he hauled Rourke from his self-pitying slump, but, working from a screenplay written by Robert D Siegel, he has created an often-brutal, always-compelling portrait of a decent man trying to peel himself off Skid Row. Full Review |
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4/5 |
Randy’s climactic recreation of a former glory befits a film about someone unable to prevent himself spinning out of control, and is a smackdown conclusion to a mature, powerful tearjerker. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Aronofsky’s most authentic film refuses to ridicule the amateur wrestling circuit, while Rourke’s portrait of a has-been will surely be the comeback of the year. Full Review |
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5/5 |
I watch very few movies which couldn't have been improved upon, but this is one of them. I loved every mythic moment of it. Full Review |
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5/5 |
The Wrestler is well worth catching. Against all of the odds you end up caring deeply for this battered and lonely man... plus Mickey Rourke is astonishingly good. Full Review |
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4/5 |
But Rourke is so brilliant even Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would be cheering “Ram Jam” by the end. Full Review |
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The platitude-intensive script by Robert Siegel would have been laughed off the screen without Rourke’s dogged grandeur. Full Review |
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The characters may be stereotypes to us, but they're played here with a love and tenderness and resignation that could break your heart. Full Review |
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5/5 |
It’s Rourke’s display – crushed, hopeful, almost unbearably poignant – that’ll stay with you after the ring lights fade. His light hasn’t died just yet. Full Review |
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4/5 |
The Wrestler is, in essence, an excellent B-movie centred upon a defiantly top-rate performance from Rourke. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Emotionally engaging, superbly directed drama, with a terrific script and a powerful, award-winning performance by Mickey Rourke. Full Review |
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10/10 |
With swelling lips to rival Pete Burns's, and long blond locks shorn from Marilyn (the '80s pop singer, not Monroe), Rourke sails above the freak show to give his greatest performance yet. Full Review |
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4.5/5 |
In addition to the pungent writing and direction, the film features a truly stunning performance from Rourke Full Review |
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A natural awards contender and audience-pleaser without feeling overtly manipulative on the way. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
It's a testament to Mr. Rourke's talent that Randy's life and attempted redemption never devolve into maudlin, unearned sentimentality. Full Review |
CommentLatest News for The Wrestler
February 21, 2009:
Independent Spirit Award Winners Announced
The best independent films of 2008 were recognized with the announcement of the Independent Spirit Award nominees. The awards show was broadcast live on IFC on Saturday,... More...
January 26, 2009:
Mickey Rourke: From Wrestler to Wrestlemania 
Playing Randy "The Ram" Robinson in "The Wrestler" hasn't just earned Mickey Rourke a career reboot and heaps of critical acclaim -- it's apparently also afforded him a slot on... More...
January 25, 2009:
Mickey Rourke resuscitates career as comeback kid in search of redemption.
More...
January 21, 2009:
Five Favourite Films with James Franco
Having established his name in the Spider-Man movies, these days James Franco is clearly making some more personal career choices. He was in three films in 2008, notable for... More...
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