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I was a huge fan of wrestling and even as an older individual, the sport is still dear to me and I respect it unlike most people, the notion of it being fake is only half-true - the match outcomes are pre-determined but the moves and bumps are indeed real and have caused many injuries. When The Wrestler came out I was looking forward to it, I was interested in the depiction of a wrestler's life and the inner-workings of the business but its bleak tone and almost hostile approach to the industry is off-putting. I came out with nothing but "wrestling will destroy lives, don't do it" and no matter how good the film is (on a technical level), I just can't forgive the ignorance and lack of research that went into the film.
The Wrestler doesn't revolve around what the title makes you believe, it's actually about Randy Robinson's life AFTER wrestling and how bad it becomes. All of Robinson's personal issues seem to stem from his love and dedication to wrestling, it's a bloated and cliche story of stripper love, a broken father-daughter relationship and drug addiction. It's like Robinson's career was just there to serve as a platform to all the sh*t, I can imagine the screenwriter (whoever he was) dotting down a heap of bad stuff that happens to Randy Robinson and listing his profession afterwards.
I'll quote Bret Hart (wrestler) here: The Wrestler is a "dark misinterpretation" and here's a guy who's brother died trying to perform a wrestling stunt, was victim of the Montreal screwjob (look it up) and suffered a stroke via a botched kick, a man who's truly been through it all. The Oscars got it right this time.
Review #16 - The Wrestler:
(Darren Aronofsky, 2008)
(Darren Aronofsky, 2008)
I was a huge fan of wrestling and even as an older individual, the sport is still dear to me and I respect it unlike most people, the notion of it being fake is only half-true - the match outcomes are pre-determined but the moves and bumps are indeed real and have caused many injuries. When The Wrestler came out I was looking forward to it, I was interested in the depiction of a wrestler's life and the inner-workings of the business but its bleak tone and almost hostile approach to the industry is off-putting. I came out with nothing but "wrestling will destroy lives, don't do it" and no matter how good the film is (on a technical level), I just can't forgive the ignorance and lack of research that went into the film.
The Wrestler doesn't revolve around what the title makes you believe, it's actually about Randy Robinson's life AFTER wrestling and how bad it becomes. All of Robinson's personal issues seem to stem from his love and dedication to wrestling, it's a bloated and cliche story of stripper love, a broken father-daughter relationship and drug addiction. It's like Robinson's career was just there to serve as a platform to all the sh*t, I can imagine the screenwriter (whoever he was) dotting down a heap of bad stuff that happens to Randy Robinson and listing his profession afterwards.
I'll quote Bret Hart (wrestler) here: The Wrestler is a "dark misinterpretation" and here's a guy who's brother died trying to perform a wrestling stunt, was victim of the Montreal screwjob (look it up) and suffered a stroke via a botched kick, a man who's truly been through it all. The Oscars got it right this time.