Knee-jerk review: "The Wrestler"

1. Mickey Rourke is pretty convincing here. Believe the hype.
2. But, man, is this one grim and depressing story.
3. That last shot surely means what we think it means, but it'd be nice if somehow it didn't.
4. Barbed wire? Seriously?
5. If you think back on the real-world 1980s wrestlers, they really have all disappeared into the pop culture murk with the exception of Hulk Hogan. If Randy the Ram had a halfway decent agent or manager, surely he could have gotten himself a VH1 reality show.
6. But how is it that the movie's Ayatollah character transitioned into middle-class affluence while Randy the Ram spiraled down into blue-collar misery so tragically?
7. Marisa Tomei indeed does get topless (often) and does indeed look good for a 45-year-old. Believe the hype.
8. Looking at Randy the Ram's broken body and lonely soul craving the spotlight and you think: this is surely where most of the mid-level professional athletes eventually end up. Especially those who never made the multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts.
9. "What'll it be, spring chicken?" The deli counter scenes are great.
10. The wrestling scenes, by contrast, are tough to watch. These guys are bloodied and beaten for an adoring crowd whose cheers grow louder the more violent and outrageous the spectacle. God bless America.

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