A Monkey movie review

After all the hype around The Wrestler finally died down, we decided to see it. And the bottom line is, believe the hype. It's a very good film.

I had my doubts about it and I carried those doubts throughout most of the movie and I did not get rid of the doubt until the very end when Mickey Rourke looks up and see that Marisa Tomei had fled the arena where he's wrestling. That's when I finally knew the film wasn't going to go the route of the nice neat make everyone happy Hollywood ending. The ending was messy and open ended, just like life is.

Mickey Rourke's performance as a washed up wrestler hanging on to his 'sport' is a thing of beauty. He fulfills in this role the promise he showed so early on in his acting career, the promise he squandered for so many years when he took so many bad roles in so many bad movies. His character in this film reminded me of Brett Favre because both men are way past their prime and they are only hanging on to their athletic pasts because they fear getting older. Marisa Tomei is also very good in her role as the aging stripper. She projects a world weary sexiness mixed with a longing for a normal life with her son. Her boobs are world class as well in this film.

Highly recommended.