The Wrestler: Not a Review
Someone I know hates A Beautiful Mind. He told me one of the reasons for not liking the movie was that he didn’t like the way Ron Howard portrayed John Nash’s schizophrenia. And for a long time I couldn’t understand that, because I liked the movie. But slowly (after watching a lot more movies and having lots of discussions about movies with others) it dawned on me that in the name of making movies, movie makers often trivialize life and it’s hardships, sugarcoating reality just so that the audience can feel good about watching it. These movies are made for the audience. Sometimes, these movies even mislead the audience. Reality is not always watchable, we all experience its downsides. Painting a rosy picture doesn’t make the darker side of life go away. Thankfully there are people who still make movies to tell stories without the rose tinted glasses. Darren Aronofsky is one of them. In A Requiem for a Dream he told the story of four people whose dreams are shattered by substance abuse. Pi told the story of a mathematician whose quest for finding patterns drives him to the brink of madness. His latest movie, The Wrestler, tells us the story of a professional wrestler past his prime named Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson, played effortlessly by Mickey Rourke. While the story is about a professional wrestler, it could have been about a musician, an actor, an athlete or anyone else who felt they were good at one thing and one thing alone. These could also be substance addicts – because isn’t addiction a kind of passion as well? These people staked their lives for that one thing, which becomes their dream, and in the process gave up on things that most others consider a lot more valuable – family, friends and other things. But then one day things stopped working for them. And now its time for them to pay their dues. Unfortunately its too late now. The Wrestler is a story of such a person. The movie does not take sides, but it does a great job of telling both sides of the story – the joy of pursuing a dream, and the casualties it leaves behind. In some ways The Wrestler had a documentary feel to it. By the end it makes you care about the characters, and the lives they live – even the minor characters. And that’s the reason I liked the movie.
Themocracy
i loved the wrestler too. it was exactly as you describe it. real and therefore so very touching. the hopelessness in it was strangely relieving. and yes so very visually unlike darren aronofsky.
"the hopelessness in it was strangely relieving" – that was well said.
I also loved the way the movie ended. There are a few movies for which I'll never forget the way they ended. The Wrestler is one. Another is 15 Park Avenue.
i haven't seen the wrestler, but i do think that one watches movies for different reasons. also, there's that argument about art/cinema being good only if it's closest to life, or, has its own purpose, which could range from: to entertain, to provoke thought, etc…so then, can there really be a set pattern to what's a 'good' film? maybe you liked beautiful mind, because that's what you wanted. did you really have to train yourself to your friend's vision of why you shouldn't like it?
backpacker: Watching a movie is indeed a subjective experience, but is it wrong to re-evaluate our own positions about movies, art, etc. when new facts or other points-of-view are brought to our attention? I personally don't think so. We do that all the time, knowing that we never have all the information we need to make informed opinions. How we think about a movie (for example) is based on how much we know about it, our experiences, as well as our thought process at that time. As we change, our opinions can change too. I continue to like 'A Beautiful Mind' (there was more than one reason I liked the movie), but I evaluate the movie in a different light now.
i see your point now
Beautifully presented POV on movie-making.