The acting in this film is indeed excellent (with the exception of Evan Rachel Wood, whose character is terribly written and poorly acted), which really elevates the film above a simple, weepy nostalgia piece. The fact that Darren Aronofsky is behind this, whose only good film before this was Pi, which I still have reservations about, is impressive, and puts him back as someone that I will pay attention to. I just wish that he could find a really good writer, because the writing is what brings his films down, and almost brings this one down. The ‘broken down piece of meat’ monologue was weak, forced, and cliched, but Mickey Rourke made it tolerable. Rourke couldn’t save, though, the scenes with his daughter Stephanie, an entire mistake of a character in this film. This film didn’t need a screaming brat crying about her father missing her birthdays and shouting that she never wants to see him again because he forgot that they were to supposed to have dinner together after they have a tender, loving moment a couple of days before. There are certainly more creative ways that the writer could have come up with to make Stephanie get pulled in by ‘The Ram’ again and then have her hopes shattered, but instead he shows this in the most boring and embarrassing way possible.
But, there are plenty of good things to say about the film, even besides the great job by Rourke and Tomei. The film made me think of professional wrestling as something entertaining and watchable for the first time in my life. The wrestling scenes are well shot and often brutal (though maybe a little over the top with the staples). I also liked how gentle all of the wrestlers seemed outside of the ring. One would expect macho men making fag jokes in the locker room, but they are presented as a well-knit community of guys who look out for each other and aren’t afraid to hug after a match. The ending of the film is a tearjerker, and it works, I was choked up. Seeing The Ram make his last Ram Jam is supremely sad.
Evan Rachel Wood is terrible. Absolutely terrible, I could almost see her practicing her Oscar speech in that over-the-top performance.
I blame Aronofsky, too, he could have directed her better.
Or he could have chosen a better actress.