Aronofsky's "The Wrestler"

[MillenniumMan831 0]

I just assumed he was retaining it since a belt was never actually shown.

[DMann2003 0]

That might have made a cool moment, if you saw The Ram afterwards backstage holding this rinky Indy Title, as if all his glory was now reduced to something nothing more meaningful than a local area bowling trophy.

[fazzle 0]

So, I finally got a chance to see this today, and while overall I thought it was a really good movie, I had 2 problems that bugged me throughout the entire movie. I haven't read the entire thread, so they've probably already been mentioned.

 

The camerawork during all the scenes where Randy was walking around. Dude, back the fuck up! It's ok to film from more than 6 inches away!

 

The actual wrestling scenes themselves. They were very well shot and performed, but it just felt like the Ram was doing moves that he wouldn't be able to do at that age.

[Twisted Intestine 0]

But he is that age and he did do them!

[fazzle 0]

Rourke is that age in regular human years, not in "wrestler" years. He doesn't have 20+ years of wear and tear slowing him down. I understand the message of the crowds giving you adrenaline and making you feel good again, but they took it to an unrealistic level.

 

Plus I had a hard time suspending my disbelief during the hardcore match with Necro. There's no way someone who was the "biggest star in the world" in the 80s would wrestle that type of match. I mean, yeah, I know hardcore wrestling was AROUND back then, but there's no way he would have been able to be a top star in the 80s if he did hardcore, and there's no way in hell he'd change his entire wrestling style this late in his career.

 

Nitpicky, sure, but the wrestling nerd in me came out for it.

[Scroby 0]

Rourke is that age in regular human years, not in "wrestler" years. He doesn't have 20+ years of wear and tear slowing him down. I understand the message of the crowds giving you adrenaline and making you feel good again, but they took it to an unrealistic level.

 

Plus I had a hard time suspending my disbelief during the hardcore match with Necro. There's no way someone who was the "biggest star in the world" in the 80s would wrestle that type of match. I mean, yeah, I know hardcore wrestling was AROUND back then, but there's no way he would have been able to be a top star in the 80s if he did hardcore, and there's no way in hell he'd change his entire wrestling style this late in his career.

 

Nitpicky, sure, but the wrestling nerd in me came out for it.

You'd be really surprised at what a lot of older wrestlers can do.

[fazzle 0]

I still say that both in big-time and in indy feds, I've never seen any "legend" completely switch up his game. Someone who's been an indy lifer? maybe. But someone who was a big name?

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I still say that both in big-time and in indy feds, I've never seen any "legend" completely switch up his game. Someone who's been an indy lifer? maybe. But someone who was a big name?

 

Let's just look at Terry Funk and say that it's not that ridiculous.

[dubq 0]

I still say that both in big-time and in indy feds, I've never seen any "legend" completely switch up his game. Someone who's been an indy lifer? maybe. But someone who was a big name?

 

I think you're wrong, 100% there. We've seen it in small (ECW, Terry Funk) and big (WCW, WWE, Hogan, Flair, Piper vs Goldust) feds. Not only that but why does this even matter? The point of the hardcore match was that Randy needed to do ridiculous matches like that to make a living otherwise he'd be even broker than he already was. It's not about "Oh, well he was a high flyer and a big star in the 80's so he clearly should never be doing these matches since it's not his style" - he HAD to do those matches.

[cabbageboy 0]

I do know what Fazzle means since I thought the same thing myself, but therein lies the dilemma with a film. The matches in this movie are basically the action scenes of the film in this case, so can they really have crappy (but perhaps more feasible) matches with a washed up Jake Roberts type performer in his 50s? It would suck and wouldn't provide exciting action scenes. The matches have to be action packed.

[bob_barron 0]

I do know what Fazzle means since I thought the same thing myself, but therein lies the dilemma with a film. The matches in this movie are basically the action scenes of the film in this case, so can they really have crappy (but perhaps more feasible) matches with a washed up Jake Roberts type performer in his 50s? It would suck and wouldn't provide exciting action scenes. The matches have to be action packed.

 

Poor fazzle, cabbageboy just invalidated his point.

 

The deathmatch stuff reminded me of Terry Funk. And a lot older stars do hardcore stuff, look at Flair in 06 or when Sting was taking thumbtack bumps

[Coffin Surfer 0]

Rourke is that age in regular human years, not in "wrestler" years. He doesn't have 20+ years of wear and tear slowing him down. I understand the message of the crowds giving you adrenaline and making you feel good again, but they took it to an unrealistic level.

 

 

"Regular Human Years?" lol. Rourke got fucked up beyond repair during an ill fated boxing career and in general lived a very hard lifestyle over the past few decades.

 

 

[fazzle 0]

I'll give people the point about Terry Funk. I completely forgot about him. (although the way the movie portrayed him, I saw Ram as a Flair/Hogan type legend. Maybe it was my own interpretation that was wrong?)

[cd213 0]

I saw this on pwinsider.com:

 

Martin Drury sent the following....Mickey Rourke tonight won a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) for Leading Actor. He dropped a couple of f-bombs in his acceptance speech, something not normally done at the BAFTA's but everyone loved him. I believe last year all four acting awards went to the same actors in both the BAFTA's and Oscars.....signs are good.

[bob_barron 0]

I'm going to see The Wrestler again today, followed by a Q-n-A with the writer of the movie. I don't know if I'll be able to interview him personally, but is there anything you want me to try and ask?

[Jingus 0]

I'll give people the point about Terry Funk. I completely forgot about him. (although the way the movie portrayed him, I saw Ram as a Flair/Hogan type legend. Maybe it was my own interpretation that was wrong?)

Flair's done it too. Remember how he never fell off a ladder or rolled around in thumbtacks until 2006.

 

But I do see your point. Yeah, very few guys who were legit huge stars in the 80s would be doing these types of matches today. That's one of the movie's minor plot holes, they never explained how Randy went from being a legendary main eventer to being completely bankrupt. I assume he pissed it away on drugs and stuff like that, but we're never told.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Flair doing thumbtacks is a far cry from wrestling Necro Butcher in CZW.

 

Funk, Roberts...maybe lower end main event guy is what I saw him as

[Fiscusalicious 0]

I don't think the point has to be clarified beyond what somebody has already said (and maybe I'm thinking of a different board here).

 

It's not that Randy is forced to do the hardcore matches with Necro Butcher. It's that he is so poor that he is choosing to do them rather than have a weekend in which he doesn't get that additional wrestling paycheck. It seems to me that his character is actively seeking out whatever work he can get -- which is later paralleled in his day job.

[The Flamboyance 0]

One thing that bothered me a little is how apparently nobody knew he had a heart attack. When he was asked how he was doing, by that promoter guy with the beard, he said "Hey, I'm great I was out of the hospital in two hours." Now maybe the point was that no one really gives a shit about you, which is why nobody really knew what happened to him, but as someone so respected as Ram is supposed to be, don't you think he'd get visitors, or phone calls? An entire locker room saw the man almost die, and probably knew what hospital he was being sent to or at least had an idea. The only thing waiting for him when he got out was money sent by his promoter. You'd think the promoter would want to know how he was doing, be there for him, etc.

[bob_barron 0]

In Foley's book, he mentions how Davey Boy was once laid up in the hospital with a bad staph infection and nobody came to visit him, despite the fact that he was one of the more well liked guys in the locker room.

 

Wrestling's pretty cold hearted.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Im finally going to get to go see this on Monday! I had about given up.

 

 

[King Kamala 0]

Saw this for a second time tonight. Interesting crowd reaction to the match with Necro. First time I saw it, the audience was sort of disgusted/shocked at it but this audience seemed mildly amused. Sick bastards!

 

Also, I think the scenes with Evan Rachel Wood sort of drag the movie down. Still, think it should have gotten a Best Picture nomination and it was one of my favorites of '08.

[bob_barron 0]

Interesting tidbit for you Kamala: One of the drafts had the relationship being between Randy and Tomei's son, rather than Randy and his daughter.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Saw this today..finally..it lived up to all the expectations I had for it. I will note that the PQ was beyond abysmal and Im hoping it was just the theatre here and not the actual film.

 

I saw the IMDB site which said that Rourke wasn't one of the top options for the main role, they wanted Stallone or Nicolas Cage..I can't imagine this movie with either of them though.

 

My one small gripe was that I couldnt buy Ernest Miller as the Ayatollah.

[Fiscusalicious 0]

It is important to make a distinction between production value and stylistic choice.

 

The production value of the film is quite good. Scenes aren't blown out or underexposed. Shot composition is on the mark. Sound quality is strong. The sound mix/coverage is quite effective.

 

It has much higher production value than most documentary features. It was shot in the way a documentary would be as a stylistic choice. You knew that going in. It looks and sounds pretty goddamn good for that style.

[The Buzz 0]

Stallone could have pulled it off, but would have overshadowed the movie with his name. Not to mention people would have crucified him if it didn't do the type of box office his last few films have done. Rourke was definitely perfect for the part.

[bob_barron 0]

Saw this today..finally..it lived up to all the expectations I had for it. I will note that the PQ was beyond abysmal and Im hoping it was just the theatre here and not the actual film.

 

I saw the IMDB site which said that Rourke wasn't one of the top options for the main role, they wanted Stallone or Nicolas Cage..I can't imagine this movie with either of them though.

 

My one small gripe was that I couldnt buy Ernest Miller as the Ayatollah.

 

Mickey Rourke was always their top choice. It was just a question of getting insurance

[bob_barron 0]

http://www.lohud.com/article/20090218/NEWS02/902190439

[cd213 0]

Saw this today..finally..it lived up to all the expectations I had for it. I will note that the PQ was beyond abysmal and Im hoping it was just the theatre here and not the actual film.

 

I saw the IMDB site which said that Rourke wasn't one of the top options for the main role, they wanted Stallone or Nicolas Cage..I can't imagine this movie with either of them though.

 

My one small gripe was that I couldnt buy Ernest Miller as the Ayatollah.

 

From the stories I have heard, Aronofsky wrote the movie for Rourke, but he turned it down the first time. Cage got the part, but dropped out after being backstage at an ROH event. Aronofsky sent the script to Rourke again, even after hearing that he could not get financial backing for Rourke. Rourke re-read the script after Aronofsky told him he couldn't pay him, but could get him an Oscar. I read these from various media news sites over the production time. Rourke also mentioned on Leno, I believe, about not getting paid but getting the Oscar nod.

[Twisted Intestine 0]

It is important to make a distinction between production value and stylistic choice.

 

The production value of the film is quite good. Scenes aren't blown out or underexposed. Shot composition is on the mark. Sound quality is strong. The sound mix/coverage is quite effective.

 

It has much higher production value than most documentary features. It was shot in the way a documentary would be as a stylistic choice. You knew that going in. It looks and sounds pretty goddamn good for that style.

 

Rourke said in an interview that it was all hand held because they didn't have the budget to take too much time shooting it.

 

I guess after looking at their budget they made the choice to shoot it that way, so it was more of a stylistic choice based on how much money they had.. They did very well with what they had though.