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The Wrestler

"Love. Pain. Glory."

2008-09-07 Drama 1hr 49m

Aging wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson 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, and tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter. But he can't resist the lure of the ring and readies himself for a comeback.

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The Wrestler
Amazon Video

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Storyline

Aging wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson 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, and tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter. But he can't resist the lure of the ring and readies himself for a comeback.

  • Released
    2008-09-07
  • Revenue
    $44,734,660
  • Budget
    $6,000,000
  • Runtime
    1hr 49m
  • Genre
    Drama, Romance
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    7.9
  • Production
    Wild Bunch, Top Rope, Saturn Films, Protozoa Pictures

Crew

Darren Aronofsky
Director
Robert D. Siegel
Screenplay
Scott Franklin
Producer

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Cast

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Nick Volpe
Judah Friedlander

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Scott Brumberg
Ernest Miller

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Dylan Keith Summers

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Gregg Bello

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JAPW Promoter Larry Cohen
Armin Amiri

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Dr. Moayedizadeh
Ryan Lynn

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Strip Club Best Man
Michael Drayer

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Alyssa Bresnahan

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Jeff Chena

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Hotel Bartender
Felice Choi

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Beautician
Bernadette Penotti

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Tanning Salon Owner
John L. Sullivan

John L. Sullivan

The Legend Johnny Valiant
Ron Killings

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Ron "The Truth" Killings
Giovanni Roselli

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Romeo Roselli
Robert D. Siegel

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Autograph Fan #1
Scott Franklin

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Autograph Fan #2
Sylvia Kauders

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Hudson Acres Lady at Deli Counter
Alissa Reisler

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Young Housewife at Deli Counter
Willy Rosner

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Rebecca Darke

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German Potato Salad Lady at Deli Counter
E.J. Carroll

E.J. Carroll

Teamster at Deli Counter
Abraham Aronofsky

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Annoyed Man at Deli Counter
Charlotte Aronofsky

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Annoyed Woman at Deli Counter
Jen Cohn

Jen Cohn

Get a Room Lady
Tyrone Scott

Tyrone Scott

WXW Announcer
Douglas Crosby

Douglas Crosby

WXW Referee
Larry Mercer

Larry Mercer

CZW Announcer
Nick Papagerio

Nick Papagerio

CZW Referee
Kevin Foote

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Jon Trosky

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Pete Nixon

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Papadon

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Jay Santana

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Sugga

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Whacks

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Ryan Tygh

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Fan (uncredited)
Olivia Baseman

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Alyssa's Roommate (uncredited)
Brandon DiCamillo

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Audience Member (uncredited)
Sakinah Bingham

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Ring Girl (uncredited)
Matt Cannon

Matt Cannon

Crazy Fan (uncredited)
Peter Conboy

Peter Conboy

Fans at Table (uncredited)
Evan Ginzburg

Evan Ginzburg

Fan at Convention (uncredited)
Anna-Karin Eskilsson

Anna-Karin Eskilsson

Girl in Supermarket (uncredited)
Cory Kastle

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Wrestler (uncredited)
Robert Oppel

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Wrestler (uncredited)
Piper Kenny

Piper Kenny

DJ (uncredited)
Michael Marino

Michael Marino

Medic #2 (uncredited)
Rafaela Ochoa

Rafaela Ochoa

Wrestling Fan (uncredited)
Bill Walters

Bill Walters

Wrestling Fan (uncredited)
Eric Santamaria

Eric Santamaria

Vendor (uncredited)
Erika Smith

Erika Smith

Dancer (uncredited)
Paul Thornton

Paul Thornton

Strip Club Patron (uncredited)
Henry Kwan

Henry Kwan

Strip Club Patron (uncredited)
Ben Van Bergen

Ben Van Bergen

Deli Customer (uncredited)
Emmanuel Yarborough

Emmanuel Yarborough

Sumo Wrestler (uncredited)
John Corson

John Corson

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Videos and Photos

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The Wrestler

Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Wrestler
reviewer avatar

A Review by Wuchak 8

Written by Wuchak on 2018-09-26

“The Wrestler” (2008) Twenty years past his glory days in the mid/late 80s, a wrestler (Mickey Rourke) struggles to make ends meet in New... read more

“The Wrestler” (2008) Twenty years past his glory days in the mid/late 80s, a wrestler (Mickey Rourke) struggles to make ends meet in New Jersey while wrestling on the weekends, taking illegal pain-meds, pursuing a dancer at the local strip club (Marisa Tomei) and trying to reestablish a relationship with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). This is an engrossing, but gloomy drama about the grim reality of celebrities from practically any field who are long past their prime; it just happens to be a wrestler in this case. People mock how fake wrestling is, but those talented guys bend over backwards to entertain the audience with incredibly painful stunts. The film was shot in the winter in New Jersey and this augments the bleak pall. On the female front, Marisa is absolutely stunning as Cassidy (aka Pam) and Wood is convincing as the embittered daughter. Their relationships with the protagonist are a mixture of sweet, agonizing and moving. The soundtrack features several quality songs from the 80s: "Bang Your Head," "Round and Round," "Balls to the Wall," "Animal Magnetism," "Dangerous," "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)," "Sweet Child o' Mine" and more. The movie reminded me of 80’s metal star Jon Mikl Thor and the excellent documentary “I Am Thor” (2015) and, to a lesser extent, “Anvil: The Story of Anvil” (2008). While neither of these is as melancholic as “The Wrestler,” and “I Am Thor” is sometimes laugh-out-loud amusing, they both effectively show the grey reality of former real-life celebs well past their halcyon days. The film runs 1 hour, 49 minutes. GRADE: A-

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-03-30

Mickey Rourke is on top-form in this depiction of fading wrestling star "Randy". Once the talk of the tour, he has fallen on hard times. His... read more

Mickey Rourke is on top-form in this depiction of fading wrestling star "Randy". Once the talk of the tour, he has fallen on hard times. His body hasn't the strength or stamina it once had and after one fairly convincing pasting in the ring he decides it is time to hang up his loincloth. Whilst his professional life was full of glamour, testosterone and showbiz, his retirement is much less so. Still needing to work, he takes a job in a supermarket and all so he can eek out a living and hopefully establish a relationship with his long estranged daughter "Stephanie" (Evan Rachel Wood). When we are in the ring, this is an action-packed and entertaining film that illustrates well just how brief these folks' moment's in the sun can be, at how fickle the audiences can be and at just how little a dilapidated body (and soul) can be left with when injury and age impose themselves. I was much less interested in the slightly contrived, and predictable, familial melodrama into which this sinks in the middle, though. I found myself really disinterested in his love life - with the unconvinced "Cassidy" (Marisa Tomei), or in his attempts to repair his torrid relationship with "Stephanie". Luckily, that is but an intermission before the grand denouement that sees him in the ultimate grudge match against his equally aged foe "the Ayatollah" (Ernest Miller). The script is lively and frequently quite witty, the direction of the fight scenes captures well the physical endurance required by these athletes, but it also shows us that their job is to entertain us - not to actually kill each other! Rourke flips from the wrestler to the tortured father well here, and the film is well worth a watch.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by Wuchak

“The Wrestler” (2008) Twenty years past his glory days in the mid/late 80s, a wrestler (Mickey Rourke) struggles to make ends meet in New Jersey while wrestling on the weekends, taking illegal pain-meds, pursuing a dancer at the local st...

reviewer avatar

A Review by Wuchak 8

Written by Wuchak on 2018-09-26

“The Wrestler” (2008) Twenty years past his glory days in the mid/late 80s, a wrestler (Mickey Rourke) struggles to make ends meet in New Jersey while wrestling on the weekends, taking illegal pain...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-03-30

Mickey Rourke is on top-form in this depiction of fading wrestling star "Randy". Once the talk of the tour, he has fallen on hard times. His body hasn't the strength or stamina it once had and after o...

read more