Plot

A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.

Cast

The man of one face Mickey Rourke leads while flanked by Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. For the wrestling fans you'll see Necro Butcher and Ernest "The Cat" Miller, R-Truth and more.

Verdict

Now let me start by saying I'm a wrestling fan and one who is as much interested (And fascinated) in the industry and the behind the scenes as what is shown on camera. For this reason I was quite excited about the Wrestler though I was very much of two minds about Rourke being the leading man. Does he look the part? Absolutely, fantastic choice. But is he an actor with a broad spectrum? Absolutely not.

This is not a tale behind the scenes of a high end wrestler in a large promotion, this is the dark gritty heartbreaking reality of independent wrestling and what happens when wrestlers pass their prime.

Now the story itself is realistic, deep and impactful. It pulls the curtain back and shows the seedier side of the industry and the struggles these guy go through. The trouble is the character choice is someone who is responsible for many of his own troubles, who simply isn't a good person and that ruined it for me. You see I have an issue with bad protagonists, if I can't care about the character I'm unlikely to enjoy the movie.

I don't entirely understand the critical acclaim, but I do get the appeal. For wrestling fans it delivers, for non-wrestling fans it may provide an education on an industry they insist on calling "Fake". But as entertainment and for a guy like me who can't cheer on a drug addled dead beat dad, I struggled.

Rants

I just watched Supacell, it suffered with the same issue as I just described and in a big way. Let's look at our band of heroes, we have another dead beat down, then we have a drug dealer and then finally we have a violent gang leader who spends the movie stabbing people including a civilian he's robbing. Why is this a thing? Why has there become a trend of awful human beings as protagonists? Remember Attack the Block (2011), the movie starts with our hero robbing a woman at knife point......our hero!!! It's disgusting and it's something I hope doesn't become a trope.

The Good

Realistic and gritty Some decent performances Lots of easter eggs for wrestling fans Marisa Tomei

The Bad

Poor protagonist Doesn't portray the industry in a great light Lacks entertainment value.