Washed out Wrestling

Tennis and basketball are basically my bread and pudding when it comes to sports. Whether im watching Federer slice a backhand across the court or Lebron James swooping in for a dirty dunk, both sports showcase the style and grace each player has. Unfortunately, sports have devolved into a disgusting spectacle of brute force and bloodshed. Boxing, Wrestling, Cage fighting, all showcase the beast like persona of overly buff and bicep crunching men. Instead of showcasing their style or grace (or any tactfulness), fighters are just looking to crush and destroy their opponents until the crowd's applause subsides.

Anyways, despite my scepticism I decided to branch out and watch this wrestling movie which stars, Mickey Rourke, a recently revived rag doll actor. Aside from Mr. Hulk Hogan, my knowledge of wrestling is practically nonexistent, so I didn’t have much to go by. Following the once successful wrestling career of Randy “Ram” Robinson, the movie illustrates how an aging sports icon can easily fall by the way side. Living in a rutty trailer park, Rourke does a good job of playing an extremely washed out wrestler who works at the local deli counter. Desperately trying to hang onto his career, he continues to enter the wrestling ring at local gigs, but realizes (after having a heartache) his days in the ring are over.

He finds comfort at a local town strip joint where Cassadi (Marisa Tomei) consoles him. With most movies (horror flicks, comedy, action etc), there seems to an unprecedented need for the man to end up, or fall in love with his female co-star. Unfortunately, the Ram’s romantic endeavours are short lived, and Rourke ends up back in the ring venting his frustration on another aging wrestler.

After watching the movie, I’ve decided to stick to tennis and basketball. The “smash and destroy” kind of entertainment deeply engrained in wrestling is definitely not my cup of tea. In terms of the main actor, the long bleach blonde locks and overtly bronzed body did wonders for Mickey Rourke. Who, by the way (and for those who dont watch TMZ), normally walks around like a trashy and greasy haired wreck smoking like a chimney stack.

Unfortunately, aside from his physical transformation/ new look, I still don’t understand how he wrestled his way into an academy award nomination?