Wow
I didn’t know The Wrestler
April 26, 2009 5:30 pm
Posted in: Movies
115 Comments
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I didn’t know The Wrestler
April 26, 2009 5:30 pm
Posted in: Movies
115 Comments
115 Responses
Joshua James - April 26, 2009 | 5:33 pm · Link
Yeah. It was pretty fucking good.
Should have gotten even more awards than it did.
Rourke is great, true, but Tomei does a lot of hard work here too.
valdivia - April 26, 2009 | 5:39 pm · Link
So I have a question—-a few close friends have told me not to watch it because it is extremely rough emotionally. BS or what?
JenJen - April 26, 2009 | 5:40 pm · Link
For rizzle? Because it’s been lurking at #2 in my Netflix list for awhile, and I keep kickin’ it backward.
Will bump up to #1 based on your rec.
Englischlehrer - April 26, 2009 | 5:42 pm · Link
I saw it yesterday here in Germany for the first time and thought it was great though I do see why Sean Penn won the Oscar of Rourke. I enjoyed it though…
Krista - April 26, 2009 | 5:43 pm · Link
Will definitely have to check it out, then. I know the husband’s been itching to see it.
Comrade Luke - April 26, 2009 | 5:46 pm · Link
I loved it, but came out of it thinking “Man, Mickey Rourke is one f’d up dude”. Seems almost autobiographical.
garyb50 - April 26, 2009 | 5:54 pm · Link
I’ll consult my daughter, who is into grappling & is also a very astute movie aficionado. About your reaction to The Wrestler, I’m taking everything you post lately with a big grain of salt.
Mr. Stuck - April 26, 2009 | 5:55 pm · Link
@Comrade Luke:
A two parter. The first installment was Barfly. Haven’t seen The Wrestler (will now) but he was great in BF pretty much being himself on a toot. And so was Faye Dunnaway.
Aaron - April 26, 2009 | 5:57 pm · Link
Yeah, it was a pretty good flick. I think the whole thing is held aloft by Rourke and Tomei’s acting. The directing was good, but I think it had an unfortunate tendency to underline beats that didn’t need it—the crowd noise when he’s walking out to the deli, and the whole relationship with his daughter seemed to come straight out of Sports Movie 101. But other than that, I really enjoyed it. It’s nice to see a mature, adult movie.
John Cole - April 26, 2009 | 6:04 pm · Link
@JenJen: It’s just horrifyingly tragic and sad.
@garyb50: I would always take anything I say with a grain of salt.
@Aaron: I never respect Tomei, then she just nails a roll.
garyb50 - April 26, 2009 | 6:07 pm · Link
@John Cole:
Well there you go.
Violet - April 26, 2009 | 6:08 pm · Link
Mickey Rourke was out of this world good. Seems like he was telling his own life story. Tough, gritty life. The memorabilia-signing scene with the former wrestlers sitting in that sad room really got to me. All that semi-glory and it ends in not being able to walk and no one caring about you. Tough stuff.
I love Marisa Tomei. She always seems to me like she shouldn’t be that good of an actress. But she’s always excellent. Wonder what that’s about.
JGabriel - April 26, 2009 | 6:09 pm · Link
OT, but GRRRR! I’m gonna kill those bastards over at the
Huffington Post.
Two days ago, I’m browsing along, checking out the stories at HuffPo. One was a short comic riff on porn sitcom parodies. And now, for the past 48 fucking hours, I cannot get the fucking Brady Bunch theme song out of my head.
For God’s sake, earworm, please have mercy!
.
JenJen - April 26, 2009 | 6:09 pm · Link
Really looking forward to seeing “The Wrestler” now that just about everyone whose opinion I value tells me I’d like it.
Has anyone seen “Rachel Getting Married”? It’s the most recent film to beat out “The Wrestler” on my Netflix queue, and I was totally disappointed. I felt like I was spending a full hour of the film at a wedding I would never want to go to. I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
I imagine it’s just me, and maybe my tastes are changing, as I really used to like this kind of stuff. I’ve seen both “Intervention” and “My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding,” so the magic of a “shocker” wedding is gone, you know?
JGabriel - April 26, 2009 | 6:11 pm · Link
John Cole:
Would that a highly suggestive dinner roll, or more something in the crescent line?
.
valdivia - April 26, 2009 | 6:12 pm · Link
@JenJen:
I saw Rachel Getting Married and thought it was terrific—even thought it is harrowing emotionally but excellent. But there were a lot of emotional issues there that resonated for me (an addicted brother who died a few years ago) so for me it was cathartic in some way.
chrome agnomen - April 26, 2009 | 6:14 pm · Link
tomei: “looks like a pen1s, only smalluh”
still cracks me up
Mr. Stuck - April 26, 2009 | 6:15 pm · Link
Condolences! But better you than I.
The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge - April 26, 2009 | 6:16 pm · Link
@Violet:
It’s because she’s beautiful, and worse yet: cute. That means she can’t possibly be a good actress, right?
John Cole - April 26, 2009 | 6:17 pm · Link
Role, damnit.
JenJen - April 26, 2009 | 6:18 pm · Link
@valdivia: I can see where people viewed it that way, and I thought Anne Hathaway was outstanding. But for me, it just didn’t feel real. Can’t put it into words, exactly. The wedding scenes just dragged on, when I would have been far more interested in learning more about Hathaway’s character. It bored me, and I was surprised by that.
And I still don’t get why the sisters reunited, I really don’t.
Then again, any time Debra Winger is on my radar, I consider that a good thing.
Laura W - April 26, 2009 | 6:21 pm · Link
So I’ve not been to a movie in a theater in like, um….um….20 years? I honestly could not tell you that last movie I saw in public if my life depended upon it. (Too many people in one place, no bathroom breaks, etc.)
However, The Soloist has totally grabbed my attention. Was it 60 Minutes that did the profile of the men a while back? And Robert Downey Jr. (I still think “Chaplin” was one of the greatest performances EVER) and Jamie Foxx? Powerful.
I won’t go see it in theater, of course, but it has grabbed my attention. That’s a start. Will look forward to reviews on BJ.
John Cole - April 26, 2009 | 6:23 pm · Link
@The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge: She just seems so.. normal. Not “star.”
Aaron - April 26, 2009 | 6:24 pm · Link
@Jenjen:The wedding scenes just dragged on, when I would have been far more interested in learning more about Hathaway’s character.
Worse than The Deer Hunter?
JR - April 26, 2009 | 6:24 pm · Link
I mean, it’s a movie starring Mickey Rourke about pro wrestling. The fact that you ever heard about it in the first place should have told you something. :)
JGabriel - April 26, 2009 | 6:25 pm · Link
JenJen:
I loved it. Felt like a huge return to form Demme. It had that generous humanitarianism and clean aesthetic sense you find in Melvin and Howard, Stop Making Sense, Something Wild, Swimming To Cambodia, The Silence of the Lambs, and Philadelphia.
But then, I’m a big ole Demme fan, going back to when I first saw Melvin and Howard back in 1980 at the tender age of 14.
Plus, Robyn Hitchcock and TV on the Radio were at Rachel’s wedding! And both performed. How can you not love that shit?
.
JGabriel - April 26, 2009 | 6:27 pm · Link
Hep me, I’ve been modereratered!
Probably too many links to Demme films at IMDB, as I was responding to JenJen’s Rachel disappointment.
.
valdivia - April 26, 2009 | 6:29 pm · Link
@JenJen:
I thought Winger was amazing. So good to see her back acting. I think part of what i liked about the movie is that it gave you glimpses and you had to connect the dots which is what seems to me happens in families with addiction issues. Always guessing, always resentment but also wanting to forgive, reconnect.
JGabriel - April 26, 2009 | 6:30 pm · Link
JenJen:
That sounds pretty real to me.
.
John Cole - April 26, 2009 | 6:31 pm · Link
For me it was the crowd noises as he was walking down the corridor into the deli.
Laura W - April 26, 2009 | 6:32 pm · Link
@John Cole: John, what is up with the site lately? I know you hate it when we bitch, but this “You don’t have permission to edit your comment” stuff is really annoying. I needed to add that another reason I don’t go to theaters is that you have to wear a bra. That was a very important point!
Last night I got trapped in moderation for no apparent reason (I think I am aware of all of the capricious rules here by now), and had to wait for you to get home to be freed. Two nights ago a whole post just evaporated into the ethers and when I tried to repost it, I was told I was obviously repeating myself and to STFU!
Something is buggy here. More so than usual.
Rant over.
JR - April 26, 2009 | 6:32 pm · Link
@Laura W #22: I’m excited for it, too. Steve Lopez wrote what has to be one of my all-time favorite political novels, The Sunday Macaroni Club, and I’m hoping the story here will be similarly engaging. (Of course, any novel that features a buxom beauty who exclaims “I’m a Ham Slammer!” is probably going to be a winner.)
JGabriel - April 26, 2009 | 6:34 pm · Link
JR:
And written by a former editor at The Onion. Mustn’t forget that.
.
Mr. Stuck - April 26, 2009 | 6:36 pm · Link
@John Cole:
Grounded, down to earth. It only adds to her physical beauty. She was terrific in In The Bedroom, which was otherwise filled with unsympathetic characters.
Bhall35 - April 26, 2009 | 6:38 pm · Link
@ JenJen:
Rachel Getting Married was pretty insufferable for me, though the BF liked it more than I did. Hathaway has real talent, but I thought she was a little out of her depth here. Jonathan Demme rounded up some of his usual suspects for the extended cast, and that self indulgence is reflected in many of the wedding sequences. The cultural tourism on display (Indian themed wedding, etc.) irritated me to no end, and speaking as a progressive, it just struck me as some of the worst liberal cliches come to life.
I know some see that as a sign of Demme’s generosity as a filmmaker, but it really didn’t resonate as truthful for me.
Dennis-SGMM - April 26, 2009 | 6:39 pm · Link
“Stories of real people as told by rich Hollywood actors.”
-Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers
South of I-10 - April 26, 2009 | 6:39 pm · Link
It is next in my Netflix queue. I’ve been wanting to see it.
wingnuts to iraq - April 26, 2009 | 6:44 pm · Link
it wasn’t tomei’s acting that kept me interested.
Texas Dem - April 26, 2009 | 6:45 pm · Link
The director was interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR. Among other things, he explained that some parts of the film were improvised, for example that scene where Rourke works the deli counter. Ordinarily that would have been very difficult but Rourke’s relative anonymity (due to his previous career death spiral) and physical transformation meant a lot of people simply didn’t recognize him.
Cataphract - April 26, 2009 | 6:47 pm · Link
Wife & I just happened to watch it this weekend. Since then I’ve revisited it and just keep thinking “Poor bastard” as if Ram was a real person. It was a really well done film.
Evil Bender - April 26, 2009 | 6:47 pm · Link
I thought it was easily the best film of the year. But it was like getting punched in the teeth repeatedly.
Amazing how much story telling potential there was in removing the possibility of “winning” from what would, in other hands, be a cliched sports flick.
Jaime - April 26, 2009 | 6:51 pm · Link
It’s not that it’s emotionally difficult to watch as much as it’s physically difficult—people get hurt in this movie in absolutely excruciating ways. If you’re squeamish, like I am, you will be watching part of the movie with your hands over your eyes.
opium4themasses - April 26, 2009 | 6:53 pm · Link
about the only things that cause me to put my hands over my eyes in movies are terribly awkward actions by nerdy male characters.
Reminds me too much of my youth (present?).
Violet - April 26, 2009 | 7:00 pm · Link
@Mr. Stuck:
Yeah, she was really good in In the Bedroom. Also enjoyed her in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.
@The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge:
No, that’s not it. Not for me, anyway. I think as John says, she’s very normal. And so I expect she’ll be good, but not great. Just like any normal person would be, if they were to act. And then she’s amazing. She brings lot of nuance and subtlety to roles that could be one dimensional and bland if filled by another actress. I think she’s terrific, though – have since My Cousin Vinny.
Ecks - April 26, 2009 | 7:07 pm · Link
Saw Rachel Getting Married and it was meh… basically a good film, but Bhall35’s critiques here are bang on.
The wrestler was IMHO the best movie of the year, and is absolutely gutting. Even my S.O. (a British Lit grad student who hates sports) was completely caught up and wrenched by it. That makes it an extreme high recommend.
schrodinger's cat - April 26, 2009 | 7:23 pm · Link
Haven’t seen the Wrestler yet, this weekend saw an amateur production of The Assassins and a Chamber Music concert. Of the movies nominated for Oscars I have only seen Slum Dog Millionaire, which I give a B, I thought it was a bit overrated.
Laura W - April 26, 2009 | 7:29 pm · Link
So what about Vicky Cristina Barcelona?
When I watched the Oscars, based on all of the clips, that one appealed to me the most.
Anyone see it?
valdivia - April 26, 2009 | 7:35 pm · Link
@Laura W:
I watched it and thought it was great. Funny and with enough neurosis but no creepy Allen cameo.
Laura W - April 26, 2009 | 7:40 pm · Link
@valdivia: Thanks. That’s what I picked up from the clips…funny and neurotic. Those are my prerequisites for any comedy.
valdivia - April 26, 2009 | 7:48 pm · Link
@Laura W:
also—I highly recommend watching while a having a great bottle of red spanish wine. That movie made me want to get on a plane and go to Spain.
Laura W - April 26, 2009 | 7:53 pm · Link
@valdivia: Well, I like the way you think! Unfortunately, it’s now a bazillion degrees too hot here for me to drink red, so how about this well-chilled, fabulous Spanish Garnacha I just discovered?
Anton Sirius - April 26, 2009 | 7:57 pm · Link
@The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge:
Err, no.
It’s because Tomei made her name doing comedies, which most people wrongly consider easier from an acting perspective. Contrast with Reese Witherspoon, who is also considered ‘cute’, but who has balanced comedies with dramas throughout her career so far.
Julia Grey - April 26, 2009 | 8:02 pm · Link
I needed to add that another reason I don’t go to theaters is that you have to wear a bra.
No, you don’t. Life’s too short.
And fug ‘em if they can’t take a joke.
Gordon, The Big Express Engine - April 26, 2009 | 8:09 pm · Link
The wife was sobbing last night when we watched RGM. I had seen it already on a long flight to vancouver. I thought it was great. Anne Hathaway was fantastic and she’s teh hawt to boot.
I get the complaints above about the rich liberal cliches I guess. But the writing was good and there was some real emotion there.
valdivia - April 26, 2009 | 8:13 pm · Link
@Laura W:
Yes! Las Rocas is a gem. Their red is fantastic so the Rose will be just as good I imagine. Rose’s made of garnacha are really something.
So I am girl who is totally hetero so this was totally wasted on me—but I saw Tomei doing a reading of Salome on Broadway with Al Pacino and she was totally topless on stage for a good 5 minutes. All the males were gawking.
John Cole - April 26, 2009 | 8:17 pm · Link
I had Kale for dinner. Steamed it and sauteed some garlic in olive oil and poured that over top then added a little salt and pepper. It was good. Went really well with my spinach lasagne and romaine salad.
Laura W - April 26, 2009 | 8:20 pm · Link
@valdivia: It is equally as good. I posted here about the wonderful Las Rocas 2006 Garnacha after I discovered it, so when I went into the same wine bar 10 days ago and nearly ran into the floor display of the rose by the same makers…YIPEE. I brought home another Spanish rose that was good, but to tell you the name would require I move off the couch and paw through my recycling, and that ain’t gonna happen. I think I like Las Rocas better anyway.
Violet - April 26, 2009 | 8:21 pm · Link
I’m kind of new here, so could someone explain to me what the deal is with kale on this blog? I love kale and cook it frequently. Will be growing it next fall/winter.
I love growing my own vegetables. This last fall/winter/spring I discovered cauliflower. Had only grown broccoli before. It was a revelation. Homegrown vegetables rule.
Laura W - April 26, 2009 | 8:21 pm · Link
@John Cole: Well if you give yourself a coffee enema the whole day will just come full circle for me!
(Ginger next time!)
sgwhiteinfla - April 26, 2009 | 8:23 pm · Link
I don’t know if everybody has seen it already but I finally got around to watching Seven Pounds not too long ago and I was blown away. It was totally not what I was expecting but that was a good thing. I thought the story line was original for a change with lots of plot twists and the acting was superb. One thing I hate about most of the movies that come out these days is that about half way through I can usually predict how everything ends up, not so with that movie. Not so at all. I highly recommend it.
Ecks - April 26, 2009 | 8:26 pm · Link
Vickey Christina is a charming bubble of a film. It is some excellent fluff.
I watched slumdog in about the 3rd row of the theatre, and that was definitely the way to do it. You’re so close to the screen you get totally immersed in the dizzying buzz of it. That movie is an excellent shot of positive affect, and (as the brit lit SO points out, VEEEEERY Dickensian. Kind of a blend of Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, overlayed with a few punchy bollywood highlights).
valdivia - April 26, 2009 | 8:27 pm · Link
@Laura W:
I fully support your choice to stay on the couch. I would do exactly the same. There are so so many fantastic red wines from spain it is rather ridiculous. And they are all very well priced.
D-Chance. - April 26, 2009 | 8:28 pm · Link
BTW, Talladega delivers again.
For those who haven’t seen the final couple of laps… it’s worth the viewing.
valdivia - April 26, 2009 | 8:31 pm · Link
This is really really good news. Tomorrow the republicans will be having coronaries.
Charlie - April 26, 2009 | 8:32 pm · Link
I saw “The Wrestler” as a metaphor for the U.S. over the past 30 years, living beyond our means and, ultimately, unable to take responsibility for our behavior. I didn’t think it was a coincidence that he was trying to re-live old glory by fighting the Ayahollah one more time, nor that the crowds were constantly chanting “U.S.A., USA.” to push him along. A lot of other things as well made me feel that way, but I never saw a review (or interview with the director) that suggested that was intentional.
JK - April 26, 2009 | 8:41 pm · Link
Haven’t seen The Wrestler, but anyone who liked it should see director Darren Aronofsky’s 1998 debut film Pi.
angulimala - April 26, 2009 | 8:47 pm · Link
JK,
Pi was awesome.
11:15, restate my assumptions….
Comrade Kevin - April 26, 2009 | 8:50 pm · Link
@Laura W: Have you ever tried Vinho Verde from Portugal? It’s really good stuff chilled on a hot day, it’s cheap, and I haven’t had a bad bottle of it yet.
JL - April 26, 2009 | 8:57 pm · Link
@Comrade Luke: I saw The Wrestler Friday night and had the same thought about Mickey O’Rourke’s performance.
Tomei’s performance was excellent. The only complaint that I had about the film was the side story about Tomei’s family. That particular story line was never fully developed and could have been left out, imo.
Laura W - April 26, 2009 | 9:00 pm · Link
@Comrade Kevin: No but it’s on the list to find now! Thanks. I think someone may have told me about it. TattooSydney even? So many great value wines from other countries still to explore.
In Treatment alert!
JL - April 26, 2009 | 9:03 pm · Link
@Violet: There’s not much to tell. Laura once mentioned that she liked Kale and we have been posting about it ever since. IMO, nothing is quite as good as swiss chard.
Comrade Darkness - April 26, 2009 | 9:05 pm · Link
@Comrade Kevin, Menage a Trois , a “red table wine” from california. Due to california labeling laws, a balanced blend gets a downgraded label and you get a great cheap wine.
Mike in NC - April 26, 2009 | 9:09 pm · Link
OT: We’re having to cope with a dying kitten tonight. He’s only a year old but has had chronic immune system problems. Last week he did fine at the vet but he’s hardly moved in the past day and a half, and has stopped eating and drinking and using the litter box. Poor thing can’t even walk anymore. I hate going through this ordeal again.
valdivia - April 26, 2009 | 9:13 pm · Link
@Mike in NC:
so sorry you are going through that.
JL - April 26, 2009 | 9:14 pm · Link
@Mike in NC: I’m so sorry.
Comrade Kevin - April 26, 2009 | 9:36 pm · Link
@Mike in NC: Oh man, I’m sorry to hear that, it must be difficult.
MarkusB - April 26, 2009 | 9:41 pm · Link
@Mike in NC: Sorry to hear that, Mike.
Carnacki - April 26, 2009 | 9:46 pm · Link
If you haven’t read pro wrestler Mick Foley’s autobiography, you should.
lilysmom - April 26, 2009 | 9:55 pm · Link
@Mike in NC:
Mike, I am so sorry.
Peace to you, your family and the kitten.
Carnacki - April 26, 2009 | 10:08 pm · Link
@Mike in NC:
My condolences. Losing a kitten or any cat is always heartbreaking.
Gus - April 26, 2009 | 10:12 pm · Link
Sorry, Mike in NC.
Kevin K. - April 26, 2009 | 10:20 pm · Link
The Wrestler was the best film of 2008 after Waltz With Bashir. Make sure you see that if you haven’t.
Maus - April 26, 2009 | 10:21 pm · Link
There’s got to be a way to phrase that which comes out less snotty.
AhabTRuler - April 26, 2009 | 10:25 pm · Link
@Mike in NC: Man that’s rough. I really do feel for you.
tc125231 - April 26, 2009 | 10:32 pm · Link
@valdivia: @Anton Sirius:
I find that an intriguing thought. I have always considered Tomei a far more capable acress than Witherspoon, but without the box office clout.
Will - April 26, 2009 | 10:35 pm · Link
@JenJen:
Rachel Getting Married is two movies. One is about a dysfunctional family, the other is about a “kick-ass multicultural wedding extravaganza”. The first is a good movie, the second sucks.
Will - April 26, 2009 | 10:38 pm · Link
@Mike in NC:
What a nightmare. I had a girl cat of mine pass away out of nowhere a couple years ago. She had been our little girl for 6 years, and then she was taken from us out of nowhere. It took us a long time to get over that one, and I feel for you. My thoughts are with you and your kitten…
bago - April 26, 2009 | 10:42 pm · Link
Crank 2 was balls to the wall awesome. It is nothing at all like The Wrestler.
Bostondreams - April 26, 2009 | 10:58 pm · Link
How the heck has this discussion gone on this long without some reference to The Uncler!
Lady Liberty in the Marisa Tomei role, and of course Uncle Sam in the Mickey Rourke role. AWESOME parody about the state of the country today.
“The only ones that are gonna tell me when America is done doin’ it’s thing are you people out there!”
JGabriel - April 26, 2009 | 10:59 pm · Link
Listening to “Dreams Never End” from New Order’s first album Movement, in 1981, and I realize that it’s 28 years old. I remember when it was new and hardly anyone knew who New Order was.
Damn, I feel old.
Good album, though. Better than I remember. Not as good as Power, Corruption, & Lies, of course, but then very little is.
But 28? Jeepers, it’s old enough to run for Congress.
.
Tattoosydney - April 26, 2009 | 11:11 pm · Link
@Laura W:
Yum. Vinho Verde.... Some of them are really really good – perfect for reflective afternoon sipping.
Ash Can - April 26, 2009 | 11:21 pm · Link
@Mike in NC: My thoughts are with you. May St. Francis of Assisi bless you and yours for taking such good care of that kitty.
KRK - April 26, 2009 | 11:29 pm · Link
Mike in NC, very sorry to hear about the kitten.
On the topic of quasi-autobiographical, where-are-they-now movies, has anyone here seen JCVD? I’ve heard it’s really great. My sister saw it today and loved it.
Collard greens are superior to both kale and chard. Also.
Common Sense - April 26, 2009 | 11:30 pm · Link
So I missed the Simpsons tonight, but apparently they closed with this.
Guaranteed to put you in a good mood.
Brandon T. - April 26, 2009 | 11:46 pm · Link
@John Cole:
If you like anchovies (love them, but I acknowledge that not everyone does), a fantastic dish that’s practically a meal in itself is pasta with kale, anchovy fillets, red pepper, and parmesan/romano cheese. Swiss chard also works.
HyperIon - April 26, 2009 | 11:47 pm · Link
@Laura W:
Almodovar?
GregB - April 27, 2009 | 12:07 am · Link
I take it Mickey Rourke’s plastic surgeon doesn’t have a picture of Mickey on his wall as one of his most satisfied customers?
It looks like his face was worked on with a spatula, a meat tenderizing mallet and 5 pounds of Silly Putty.
-G
JK - April 27, 2009 | 12:29 am · Link
@GregB: Ultimately, Mickey Rourke has only himself to blame for how he looks today. He chose to become a boxer, no one forced him to take up that vocation. If you take enough punches to turn your face into hamburger meat, Michaelangelo himself couldn’t work his magic to undo the damage.
Ecks - April 27, 2009 | 12:55 am · Link
@Charlie:
Y’know what, you’re right. I hadn’t even thought of that. Daymn.
(OTOH, if the wrestler is America, then who is Tomei’s character? Alluring in a sordid way, yet human, and making hard trade offs to get through life, yet ultimately unfulfilled…. I dunno… Freedom? That would be too cynical… So, riddle me that :)
ps. Sorry to hear about the kitty :(
JGabriel - April 27, 2009 | 1:14 am · Link
Ecks:
Sounds like … Democracy?
.
iluvsummr - April 27, 2009 | 2:35 am · Link
@Laura W:
Saw the Soloist tonight with a friend. It really moved me—both Downey, Jr. and Foxx gave powerful performances. Seeing Nathaniel Ayers on 60 Minutes and knowing what the Pershing Square/Skid Row area of Los Angeles is like made it resonate even more with me.
I left the theater feeling totally depressed though: I had a relative who was schizophrenic and though it took years and a bunch of ruined relationships, one day she realized that she no longer liked the way she saw life or was living it. She decided on her own to start taking meds, became open about what was happening to her mind, moved back to Nigeria from the US, developed an interest in Christianity, got interested in the new people around her and sent a whole bunch of Nigerian kids from her church to school with her US retirement annuities until she passed away (her funeral was packed with people talking about how she’d helped them). I guess I wanted a particular kind of light bulb moment for the main character that never came.
dog's eye view - April 27, 2009 | 4:13 am · Link
Saw Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler on same Sunday.
Loved Slumdog, but The Wrestler stayed with me more. MRourke was incredibly real; Tomei also. Very human story.
R-Jud - April 27, 2009 | 6:13 am · Link
@Common Sense: That certainly put the baby in a good mood. I’ve played it four times now, just to watch her do the Happy Baby Flap.
bob h - April 27, 2009 | 7:18 am · Link
I also thought “American Violet” was very good. A true story of banana republic Texas justice.
J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford - April 27, 2009 | 7:52 am · Link
@Mr. Stuck:
Barfly was written by Charles Bukowski and Bukowski only really wrote about himself.
JL - April 27, 2009 | 8:05 am · Link
Melissa Leo’s performance in Frozen River is excellent. She certainly deserved the nomination. I tend to like indie movies because of the story development and lack of fluff. Although Tomei was excellent in The Wrestler, the scene with her family seemed out of place to me. The other indie movie that I thought was good was Arranged. Arranged is a simple story about the friendship of two teachers. One is an orthodox Jew and the other a muslim from Syria.
Violet - April 27, 2009 | 9:01 am · Link
@JL:
Thanks, JL. I’m a Swiss chard fan too. Have you tried adding lemon to it if you’re stir frying it? Yum!
DecidedFenceSitter - April 27, 2009 | 9:17 am · Link
I’m burnt out on the Soloist due to NPR overexposure. Probably a few months ago I heard about it the first time; and then the second time was the author again. And a third time with the original author. Then a piece on skid row. Then a piece about the director.
And that’s just NPR.
Jose C - April 27, 2009 | 11:18 am · Link
Late to the game, so I don’t know if this will get any exposure, but…...As a 51 year old guy who still enjoys the fraudulent stupidity and excess of professional wrestling from an early age to today, The Wrestler is an incredible film, but for those of you who have not seen it, Barry Balustein’s documentary “Beyond the Mat” is WELL worth putting in your queue. Darin Aranofsky talked in one interview I heard about the synergy that developed between the story of Jake the Snake Roberts in that film and his movie when it was in early development.
And in the spirit of full disclosure, I was at the match between Mick Foley and Duane Johnson that features prominently in “Beyond the Mat” with an 11 year old son of a friend who wouldn’t go anywhere near wrestling, and that was one of the best matches I ever saw in person. Seeing the back story in the film with Foley and his family made it all the more memorable.
RememberNovember - April 27, 2009 | 11:20 am · Link
Rourke was also great in Sin City. Train wreck of a life but a great actor. Glad to see him make a comeback.
Phoenix Woman - April 27, 2009 | 2:12 pm · Link
A lot of pro wrestlers look rather dubiously at Hollywood efforts to tell their stories, but The Wrestler has by and large received big thumbs-ups from the most respected ones of the bunch—Ric Flair, Mick Foley, guys like that—as being a painfully accurate description of life in and out of the ring.
Anton Sirius - April 27, 2009 | 4:17 pm · Link
@tc125231:
Find a copy of Freeway. It will blow your mind, and completely change your opinion of Witherspoon’s capabilities as an actress.
Mind you, she hasn’t come close to challenging herself like that since she became A-list.
Anton Sirius - April 27, 2009 | 4:21 pm · Link
@KRK:
I thought JCVD was very good. Not great though. van Damme is surprisingly strong playing a loser version of himself, and the fourth wall-breaking monologue is just awesome.
Eric K - April 27, 2009 | 5:24 pm · Link
Jose,
I suspected that must be the case, the duaghter storyline was too similar to be a coincidence.
I 2nd the recomendation for Beyond the Mat, and I’m not remotely a wrestling fan, I pretty much stopped watching it in highschool 25 years ago.
skippy - April 27, 2009 | 10:24 pm · Link
tomei has the disadvantage of getting first big notices and oscar for playing a floozy.
she’s actually quite a great actor. check her out in “in the bedroom.”
also she was the only good thing in “what women want.” in fact she was so immersed in her role i didn’t realize it was her until the credits.