Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted January 17, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 17, 2019 Just came to my attention, yesterday was 10 years since the Wrestler was released over here. I remember first seeing it on Justin.TV (remember that?) and quite liked it. What's everyones thoughts on it 10 years on. As much as I liked it at the time, I dont think I've even been tempted to re-watch it. Might do tonight actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members garynysmon Posted January 17, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 17, 2019 Honestly I thought it was average, but like yourself have only watched it once. I might follow suit. Marissa Tomei got her knockers out, which was nice, but there are so many real life Wrestlers they could have based such a film on and I can never get used to Mickey Rourke's spitting image puppet face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted January 17, 2019 Awards Moderator Share Posted January 17, 2019 I remember being amazed at the time that a film about wrestling was getting Oscar buzz, and was disappointed when Sean Penn won over Rourke (this was before I'd even seen the film). I missed it in cinemas so bought a steelbook DVD which I may or may not still have, but like you, I've only seen it the once. Other than the buzz and the apparent Rourke resurgence that helped get him on Iron Man 2 and a WrestleMania payday, I don't recall much about the film - Necro Butcher and Ernest Miller were both in it, he worked in a supermarket as a day job, and I remember the ending, which I thought was appropriate. It'd be interesting to watch it alongside Fighting With My Family when that comes out. Best thing to result from the film was the Springsteen song. Lovely piece of work. I suppose inadvertently if Rourke was meant to do a Mania match with Jericho but pulled out (don't know full story), it's thanks to The Wrestler that we got Steamboat's return to the ring in 2009? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyattSheepMask Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I remember the original editor of Fighting Spirit try to make a case for Necro Butcher to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and proclaim it to be the greatest film about wrestling that there has ever been. Needless to say, I think he got a bit carried away. I thought it was OK, but nothing special. It was somewhat of a novelty seeing the likes of ROH and CZW in a Hollywood produced film, but I also seem to recall Darren Aronofsky seemingly being obsessed with the same shot of following Mickey Rourke around from the back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeRobertsParoleOfficer Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Where has 10 years gone. Very much a case of hype vs reality for me It was a different subject matter, with Rourke doing his best 'semi autobiographical sad face on his career' I enjoyed it but was underwhelmed. It's watchable but not exactly Kramer vs Kramer. On the subject of Rourke at WM the plan was him to 'work' and then they saw he'd dropped all the muscle he 'gained' for the role and thought better against it. Rourke may have won the Oscar if he hadnt celebrated the critical acclaim of reverting to his 80s type and turning up to interviews and award shows with fag in mouth, beer in hand and hooker looking birds on his arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Accident Prone Posted January 17, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 17, 2019 Loved the movie and, for a while, it became one I would bring up when discussing films with people I'd just met. I haven't watched it recently but I like to think it would hold up, if only because I've seen it so many times that I can quote half the bloody thing. It actually used to be movie that I'd throw on as a 'third date' kinda film, but that stopped when one lass hated it because she couldn't get her head around the ending; "Why did he have to go and do that? Stupid prick. He could've worked for a charity or volunteered at a soup kitchen". Yeah, that one didn't go very far after that. It also holds a very special place in my heart for featuring CZW's 'Aerial Assault' match (a wooden box placed on the turnbuckle), and of all the flips and crazy shit in that match, the footage they use is of Chuck Taylor delivering a double axe-handle off the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porkchopcash Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I think non wrestling fans found it more interesting than wrestling fans tbh. We had all saw and read about wrestlers like Jake and Foley amongst others, so it didnt do a lot for wrestling fans. I think for a short period of time the mainstream media actually respected wrestlers a bit more. I found it ok, nothing more than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 1 hour ago, WyattSheepMask said: Darren Aronofsky seemingly being obsessed with the same shot of following Mickey Rourke around from the back That's a common thing with Aronofsky, it's one of his signatures. I thought it was brilliant, still do. The deli scene where he is playing to the crowd really summed up the character. I'm an Aronofsky fanboy though, but saying that you'd have to be some sort of wrong 'un to not like Mother! because that was well skill too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted January 17, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 17, 2019 Didn't Hogan try and claim credit years after the film got released by saying they kept trying to cast him as the lead but he refused a number of times because he didn't want to harm the film's credibility? That mad, daft racist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I think he turned it down because he'd already said yes to playing bass for Metallica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Kaz Hayashi Posted January 17, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 17, 2019 Cesaro was in it too. Completely forgot. You know the dope dealing bit in the locker room, didn’t one of those wrestlers get busted in real life for it too? Or am I making that up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Statto Posted January 17, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 17, 2019 10 minutes ago, Kaz Hayashi said: You know the dope dealing bit in the locker room, didn’t one of those wrestlers get busted in real life for it too? Or am I making that up? Yeah, pretty sure the massive dude who sells him HGH in the gym got locked up for selling people HGH in a gym. Went to see the film at the cinema, own it on DVD & guess I've watched it 6 or 7 times all told. Still find the sex scene jarringly shoehorned in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members gmoney Posted January 17, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 17, 2019 I can remember reading about this when it was going to be starring Nick Cage, and he'd attended a ROH show. I thought it sounded like it was going to be a massive bomb, because I'd never seen a representation of wrestling in the mainstream that wasn't awful. I was very happy when it turned out to be outstanding, and I think it still is. It's a great companion piece to Black Swan, which is also excellent, but not quite as good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Bellenda Carlisle Posted January 17, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 17, 2019 I thought it was great, haven't seen it for years but can't see why it wouldn't have aged well. Wrestling is a good backdrop for this sort of thing and it was nice to see it used on a cool drama. The only sore point ever for me was Nic Cage was originally going to play Randy but apparently dropped out when told he wouldn't be paid. Rourke killed it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Thunderplex Posted January 17, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted January 17, 2019 Loved it then, watched it recently, still love it. Yes, Marissa Tomei’s norks are probrably a big part of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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