| Overall Grade: |
A- |
|
| Story: |
A+ |
|
|
| Acting: |
A+ |
|
|
| Direction: |
A- |
|
|
| Visuals: |
A+ |
|
|
Could have been better
by Proud (movies profile)
Jan 11, 2009
13
of
16 people found this review helpful
People who have never followed a day of wrestling in their entire lives will be far more impressed with this movie than wrestling fans.
I’ve heard so many people raving about this movie, and as a wrestling fan for 22 years now, I thought I was guaranteed to love it. I expected to leave the theater in tears, to my surprise, I did not. I honestly expected a lot more from this movie.
Though that’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the movie, I did, it’s better than most other movies that have been out there in recent years. But as for winning Oscars, I wouldn’t bet on it. I was expecting this movie to tell me something I didn’t know, and it didn’t. People who don’t follow wrestling will definitely be more impressed by this than wrestling fans, because it will be an educational film for them.
I do give Rourke all the credit in the world for going balls to the wall with this role, for that, yes he definitely deserves award recognition.
This movie does have some witty zingers and it's an enjoyable film, something different, no movie has really tackled the wrestling world before this one (to my recollection anyway). This movie definitely captures the realities of the wrestling world, it’s really intense and not for the faint of heart. Though I didn’t think the movie really captured the connection between the wrestlers and fans at all, though being a wrestling fan, I already am aware of that connection.
As a wrestling fan for over two decades, I feel this movie could have been better, it could have gone deeper. In addition, Marisa Tomei's character wasn't very developed at all, they didn't really go deep enough into Randy's issues, and Evan Rachel Wood wasn't in the movie enough to be noticed. It's to your advantage if you are a wrestling fan because you will understand things that would need further explanation to the average viewer who doesn't have the slightest clue about the wrestling world.
Though in the end, the reality is, that it's a movie about a wrestler way past his prime who didn't know when to hang up his boots with dignity. He was trying to hold on to his glory days that you know from day one are not going to last forever. You can't stay 25 your whole life. However, you can't help but feel sorry for him, especially as a wrestling fan, you can really empathize with him and what he's going through, the career and politics of a wrestling career are far from perfect and can really take a toll on you mentally, physically and emotionally. |
My Public Profile 
