Ram-Jam!!

I just got back from opening night of The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei both of whom let it all hang out physically and emotionally in this slice-of-life drama. There are movies to be admired from a distance for their technical artistry (most Kubrick) and often revisit like a good book, and there are movies that you live and breathe the lives of the characters from the get-go. The Wrestler is one of those.  Unfortunately most of these kinds of movies seem to be very realistic and depressing dramas (aka 21 grams, leaving Las Vegas) that I don’t care to see more than once in a decade, if that. Though the Wrestler is one of those, it has enough nostalgia and humanity in it to make up for its down and out and gritty realism. It also opened up a new world which for me at least, is what a great documentary can do. I was not a wrestling fan (although I always enjoyed Rowdy Roddy Piper for some reason – maybe it was the kilt or the “I’m here to chew gum and kick ass, and I’m all outta gum” line from the otherwise mediocre THEY LIVE). In any case, the movie is a window into the life of one of wrestling’s fallen idols and his day-to-day survival. It was so great to see Mickey Rourke as a leading actor and not a second banana bad guy (Domino) or some whacked out scene stealing character actor (The Pledge or Animal Factory).  He made so many great films as a young guy and he really was in the Marlon Brando, James Dean league but we all know that he “fucked it up, boys” (see below).  Man, he looks pretty terrible. He is a true Leatherface. He’s had so much work on him that he’s almost turned himself into Jonny Handsome. However for this role, he looks perfect. Flowing, dyed blonde hair, a tan to cover his skin (now hide), tiny eye slits, swollen mouth, scarred face, you name it. Randy “The Ram” Robinson (don’t call me Robin) has lost everything and needs to be loved at this point in his life. He freely admits that he deserves to be alone but after a heart-attack,  he’s feeling the need to connect now more than ever to people around him, to bring people in to him. Although the script deals with some clichés of the stripper who needs to be saved and the estranged daughter who needs to be loved and to love, the script never explains too much back-story or veers into sentimentality.  The Ram is a good man who is down on his luck but is played with such softness that when he does lash out in the real world, it is very, very affective. He lives for the ring and often plays these town-hall type conventions that draw a very small but loyal crowd of wrestling fanatics. He is one of the “good” wrestlers who always fights the bad guy (the hilarious Ayatollah) and the not so hilarious and sickening Necro Butcher.  What’s great about this film is the way that these old and new wrestlers really bond when they’re not in the ring. The backstage camaraderie is as important to The Ram as the onstage glory and is what makes this film so interesting for me.  Like most great naturalistic actors, Rourke’s personality (his machismo mixed with his sensitivity permeate most of his roles) truly makes the character and situation work. And because of Rourkes checkered past, it’s one of those performances that’s hard to separate character from actor. It must be said that Marisa Tomei is fearless in creating an aging stripper who is trying to better herself any way she can (which most often involves sexual and non-emotional contact). Their relationship feels very genuine if slightly underdeveloped (with some of the scenes near the end feeling a little out of character). Aronofsky tells the story very straight but to great effect. The handheld camera, seemingly looming right behind Roarke or directly on his battered face, is so great in creating an in-the-moment feel.  And it never feels like shaky-cam show off material. It’s not flashily directed with jump cuts or anything, just very immediate.  There is an amazing scene at a supermarket where the camera follows Rourke around without giving it away, uses music and camera techniques to create a really funny and poignant moment. I doubt that was written in the script and it shows how a great director can add his own magic touch. And like Requiem for a Dream, Aronofsky pushes his actors to the limits and it really pays off.  There are many images and scenes that remain with me from the film (the deli, the boardwalk) but none more penetrating than the last shot. Aronofsky ends the film with the perfect and poignant final shot and then kicks into blackness and then a Springsteen song. When the scene was playing I said to myself “please stop the film here, don’t do anymore” and I was really thankful that he stuck with his guns and left things open-ended.  I think The Ram will live on for quite a while….

**In 2000 or 2001 my friend Dan and I ran into Mickey Rourke at Pink Dot on Sunset very late at night after a concert at the House of Blues. Mickey was with a lady…of the night, and he was carrying both his pugs that he considers, according to all his interviews, his closest family.  We were both huge fans and we knew we had to say something to Mickey so we went up and told him how much we admired his films to which he smiled and simply said “Thanks, but I fucked it up boys, I fucked it up.” It came across as both a warning and a sad reflection. We were stunned.  He was extremely nice and asked us about NY State where we went to school and where he was raised.  I still think to this day that that was by far the most interesting and profound celebrity encounter that I’ve had in LA in almost ten years of living here.