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The Wrestler

Play trailer Poster for The Wrestler R 2008 1h 50m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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99% Tomatometer 228 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Aging wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) is long past his prime but still ready and rarin' to go on the pro-wrestling circuit. After a particularly brutal beating, however, Randy hangs up his tights, pursues a serious relationship with a long-in-the-tooth stripper (Marisa Tomei), and tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). But he can't resist the lure of the ring and readies himself for a comeback.
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The Wrestler

The Wrestler

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Critics Consensus

Mickey Rourke gives a performance for the ages in The Wrestler, a richly affecting, heart-wrenching yet ultimately rewarding drama.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator 08/29/2018
A story of personal ruin and while it certainly does echo Mickey's own life, it wouldn't be fair to say he is playing himself. Sure, Rourke's performance must have been informed by his own past, but that is different, as well as peculiarly powerful. Go to Full Review Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online 03/21/2017
A
Great performances, great story. Go to Full Review Eddie Cockrell Sydney Morning Herald 01/22/2009
4.5/5
Who better than Rourke to sell the idea of a battered, yet proud pugilist in search of redemption? Go to Full Review Gayle Sequeira BFI Aug 27
Aronofsky makes movies about people who suffer for their art, but in The Wrestler, suffering is the art, the spectacle that people are so drawn to. A distillation of his most enduring themes, it still foregoes his more disorienting visual tricks. Go to Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 04/06/2024
“Warm” and “human” are not two words you associate with Darren Aronofsky, but in 'The Wrestler' he is both, thanks in large part to the heartbreakingly open and vulnerable performance from Mickey Rourke, the comeback story of 2008. Go to Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 09/05/2023
3/4
The Wrestler presents one of those rare occasions where the performance of its lead actor outweighs a film’s conventional story. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Farah R @Farah Nov 9 The Wrestler is anchored by Mickey Rourke’s devastatingly realistic performance, making it impossible not feel for his antihero. Besides that, there’s little to enjoy as the movie is bleak and slow. See more Freddy C Oct 9 Uma história pesada e muito bem contada com muita linearidade planos definidos. O drama apresentado faz com que nós nos colocamos no lugar do Carneiro e entendemos uma pequena falha é que no final acabou muito rápido See more Richard J Sep 27 This is a devastating film on every level and an absolute masterpiece. See more Colin K Sep 20 OUTSTANDING film, and its a mystery to me how anyone can give it less than maximum marks. If you can't find a fault with a film (the story, the quality of the acting etc), you've found 5/5. Simple as that. Personally, I always give bonus marks to a film if someone has tried to do something fresh and different, especially in an age when its the same tired and boring ideas over and over and over. This film needs no such bonus marks to boost it. I cannot be bothered to see who won the Oscar for best actor that year, but whoever it was they must have given a performance of earth-shattering proportions to get the nod ahead of Mickey Rourke for this. See more Jey D Jul 11 Aronofsky's best and one of the all-time great sports dramas. See more Graham M Jul 10 He should have won the Academy Award for this. See more Read all reviews
The Wrestler

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Cast & Crew

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Darren Aronofsky

Director

Mickey Rourke

Robin Ramzinski

Marisa Tomei

Cassidy

Evan Rachel Wood

Stephanie

Mark Margolis

Lenny

Todd Barry

Wayne

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The Wrestler

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Movie Info

Synopsis Aging wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) is long past his prime but still ready and rarin' to go on the pro-wrestling circuit. After a particularly brutal beating, however, Randy hangs up his tights, pursues a serious relationship with a long-in-the-tooth stripper (Marisa Tomei), and tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). But he can't resist the lure of the ring and readies himself for a comeback.
Director
Darren Aronofsky
Producer
Scott Franklin, Darren Aronofsky
Screenwriter
Robert D. Siegel
Distributor
Fox
Production Co
Protozoa Pictures, Wild Bunch
Rating
R (Nudity|Language|Sexuality|Some Drug Use|Violence)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 17, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 12, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$26.2M
Runtime
1h 50m
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