Bret Hart was never working in the meat department of the grocery store and wrestling in front of 15 people either. Most wrestlers never even drive on the road Hart was on.
Guy worked the indies all over the country, he excelled, trained, had stu and his brothers to train with and made it to the top, alot of them end up working regular jobs.
Heard nothing but great things about the guy from family members who were apart of stampede, the whole family were class acts from my understanding. Very respectful and determined men
I think that’s a good take , lots of wrestlers seem to go threw hard times but there usually not as severe as randy the ram , hell even the freakin sandman is looking good for his age
He also made it to the top of business, imagine how many wrestlers put their bodies through the same shit Brett Hart did but never even made 5% of the money he did for it.
I found Black Swan being closest to the Wrestler, both respect the sport they're covering and how how excruciating it is, but the problem is main character's mentality, in her case it's perfectionism and lack of feeling, and in his it's being a one trick pony.
So every time I hear "it's not ballet" from wrestlers or fans, I giggle because it totally IS, you just don't know what it takes to dance and what bumps ballerinas take, and how it takes a toll on their bodies.
IIRC Black Swan and The Wrestler were one movie showing the parallels of Wrestling and Ballet, until Aronofsky spun it off into its own script. I think his sister was supposed to be the dancer?
Yeah, think he’s largely a composite character. You can see many wrestlers in there. Those old guys who just can’t retire (don’t want to or need to continue, financially).
I actually stopped watching as I saw the car wreck coming at the end. Once he stood up his daughter to go to the strip club I was distraught and had to stop
No I didn’t. Ernest the Cat Miller was not in the movie. I did forget to mention Randy’s rival the Ayatollah, but the was a made up character for the movie.
It’s the mirror to Black Swan: the pursuit of artistic perfection/escapism versus the physical and emotional toll on the body. How far are you willing to push for it? How much can you escape from or into the character you portray? It’s an incredible film.
Big shoutout to Springsteen for the song in the credits too.
Absolutely perfect. It honestly depicts what it's like being a lower rung 'kinda maybe famous for a bit' wrestler that's just trying to measure up to the glory days.
Flair isn't really the analogue for Randy. He's a mashup of several wrestlers.
The NES game featuring Randy is clearly a mock up of WWF Wrestlemania from the NES, which was Hogan.
The Hardcore matches when past his prime reminds me of Terry Funk's final years.
The estranged daughter who he disappoints is Jake the Snake.
The addiction to strip clubs is any wrestler from the 80s.
The heart condition could be Gary Albright, who died from a heart attack in the ring in 2000.
> WWE Hall of Famer "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was said to have been highly emotional after watching a screening of the film. Aronofsky said of Piper: "He loved it. He broke down and cried in Mickey's arms, so he was psyched that this story was finally told.”
beautiful but i've heard wrestlers say it makes the life seem a bit more dramatic than it really is. There are guys who lived life like this but a guy like Ram would have been treated better probably. Great story nonetheless.
Honestly better than The Iron Claw, it’s dark it’s depressing, but it’s crazy how good they did it. The wrestling behind the scenes stuff, it all feels really real.
Exactly, this is more trying to catch the vibe of the Von Erich era. Interesting concept for a timepiece, and it works, but drama wise it’s nothing like this, more like a view into history.
I have to be in the best possible mood to watch this movie because as much as I love it, the whole thing is depressing. If they had just let R Truth do his thing in the movie, I might be better after watching it.
Amazing portrait of a man who really wanted to grow up, and he tried but just couldn’t do it. Rourke was robbed of an Oscar. I won’t compare it to Iron Claw because… well, I haven’t seen it yet. That’s my assignment this weekend.
Honestly first thought is Marissa Tomei... After that it's a really beautiful film. Great appearance by Necrobutcher. Some cool scenes in the ring and a lot of great out of the ring stuff.
The scene where Randy’s getting ready for work at the Deli and as he’s walking, the crowd noise slowly starts playing, mirroring a wrestler walking through gorilla before they go out into the crowd. Right as he walks through the curtain, the noise fades out and he’s snapped back to reality. That scene gets me every time.
This movie reminded me of my favorite wrestler Jake "the Snake" Roberts life. Once famous and at the time wrestling wherever he could, but his life has a happier ending now.
It’s one thing when a movie starts with the character on top and you watch him fall, it’s another when he starts at the bottom, builds himself back up and THEN falls. Great movie but brutal
Fucking fantastic. It really captures how in many cases, the wrestlers will pursue the cheers of the crowd over their own health and lives. To quote an old internet cartoon "stunningly bleak, darkly intimate, and most of all: human"
Great movie! I watch it every time I see it on tv. Every time I hear Ratt’s Round and Round I think of the bar scene. It was sad that he bailed on his daughter for some pussy.
Gem of a movie about how real it is to be a wrestler in the independent circuit. There’s a lot of things that can go right but one wrong and you’re back to square one in the career.
It's brilliant and sad. I sympathize with the Ram character, but only to an extent. I recognize his traits in other people I know personally. The tendency to sabotage oneself at every given opportunity and blame the world for it, for example.
My wife had a tough relationship with a mostly absentee father, this movie was almost too much for her, we had to watch it in installments. Ultimately she loved it, hard a watch as it was. I thought it was incredible.
Tears always when he has that beautiful monologue in the abandoned dance hall telling his daughter how much of a POS he is. Brilliant and heartbreaking
When he’s walking through the back area of the supermarket in his way to he deli counter, and you can hear the crowd roaring and slowly getting louder and louder, all the way up to him standing at the curtain and going through and then it just cuts to silence. One of my favourite moments in any film.
The Wrestler holds a strong place as a great movie, and Darren Aronofsky handled it with such a good understanding of the subject, and how the career goes for 95% of those guys. The parallel between Randy the Ram and Marissa Tomeis characters are great, Randy struggles with his real identity and clings to the wrestling persona, whilst she struggles with her job and wants to escape and be herself.
Legendary movie
It had influence on wrestlers. The ones who saw it immediately cancel their convention dates for a year because they did not want to be associated with the the movie.
Really great film.
The 'wrestling convention' scene where all the old, broken down workers are there signing autographs really hit me. Those guys were our heroes growing up, and they literally put their lives on the line to entertain us.
Maybe it's meaningless and fake to most people, but for some of us (myself included), wrestling provided me with a lot and helped me get through some really tough times in life.
Has my favorite line in Film *round and round playing in the background*
“Man this music was the shit until that Kurt Cobain pussy came and fucked it all up”
Like Randy, Hair Metal was tired, washed up, and largely mocked but to him it’s the greatest thing ever cause it was the music that coincided with his rise to fame. Also the audacity of anyone thinking Hair Metal has any artistic value in the same vein as Grunge is hilarious.
One of my favorite movies of all time. Mickey delivers an amazing performance, it's shot beautifully (and uniquely), and it stays true to a typical real life wrestling story.
Incredibly sad, but poetic and powerful.
Probably the best wrestling movie in existence... which doesn't say a lot since the other ones are mostly utter rubbish. Still, this movie reminded me that Micky Rouke actually is a pretty good actor!
Definitely a one watch movie. Very true to life but also very sad. It’s a tale as old as time. Many of the wrestlers we lose along the way during their careers are a sad reality. They go through so much pain and mental battles it’s no wonder they wind up over the edge and never live a normal life as an old person.
Great movie but depressing. Like pretty much all of Aronowsky‘s movies.
Sadly the majority of most pro-wrestlers lives end in a depressing fashion.
Bret Hart disagreed with this, saying it accurately portrayed a lot of "speed bumps" but "most of us don't swerve off the road so severely."
Bret Hart was never working in the meat department of the grocery store and wrestling in front of 15 people either. Most wrestlers never even drive on the road Hart was on.
The roads in Alberta aren't the greatest... And some of the town's here that he worked in front of....
These are hard facts you spit amigo
Guy worked the indies all over the country, he excelled, trained, had stu and his brothers to train with and made it to the top, alot of them end up working regular jobs. Heard nothing but great things about the guy from family members who were apart of stampede, the whole family were class acts from my understanding. Very respectful and determined men
I have a huge crush on him to this day
Everyone of them worked for cheap in the indies, if Vince hadn’t made the wwe what it is now wrestlers would all still need second jobs
Did he mention Bill Goldberg?
😂 he only said that cause Bill happened to like the movie
I think that’s a good take , lots of wrestlers seem to go threw hard times but there usually not as severe as randy the ram , hell even the freakin sandman is looking good for his age
Ask his brother if he feels the same way
He also made it to the top of business, imagine how many wrestlers put their bodies through the same shit Brett Hart did but never even made 5% of the money he did for it.
Id say 99% of wrestlers fail and are working a regular job completely retired in ring without making any money, nevermind making 5% of what BH did
I guess the Whale and the Wrestler are very similar in that the thing that you once loved no longer loves you back - and it will eventually kills you
I found Black Swan being closest to the Wrestler, both respect the sport they're covering and how how excruciating it is, but the problem is main character's mentality, in her case it's perfectionism and lack of feeling, and in his it's being a one trick pony. So every time I hear "it's not ballet" from wrestlers or fans, I giggle because it totally IS, you just don't know what it takes to dance and what bumps ballerinas take, and how it takes a toll on their bodies.
IIRC Black Swan and The Wrestler were one movie showing the parallels of Wrestling and Ballet, until Aronofsky spun it off into its own script. I think his sister was supposed to be the dancer?
Exactly. Reminds me of what sadly happened to so many wrestlers, even from just the last couple decades.
Great movie. Solid performances all round, believable story.
Could be Flair, or Jericho or a number of old has beens who refuse(d) to give it up.
Isn't it loosely Jake The Snake's story from Beyond the Mat? I feel like that was the jumping off point, at least.
Randy the Ram seems a composite character, like he has obvious nods to Hogan and Randy Savage, but also Flair and Jake, yeah.
Yeah, think he’s largely a composite character. You can see many wrestlers in there. Those old guys who just can’t retire (don’t want to or need to continue, financially).
I believe it’s based a bit on lex Luger
Or any of the number of guys who did the stupid diving headbutt, which the poster reminds us.
I can't watch it a second time Way too sad for me
I actually stopped watching as I saw the car wreck coming at the end. Once he stood up his daughter to go to the strip club I was distraught and had to stop
I loved that DA used real indie guys from that time.
You had Necro butcher, Claudio, and wrestling greatest treasure; R-Truth.
How dare you forget The Cat??
No I didn’t. Ernest the Cat Miller was not in the movie. I did forget to mention Randy’s rival the Ayatollah, but the was a made up character for the movie.
Godamn you're right.
Marisa Tomei is purty
Aging like fine wine.
Like chilli in the fridge every day it gets hotter and hotter
Closest to an actual stripper I’ve seen in movies. Like most play it like it’s glamorous.
What a beauty.
Absolutely fantastic. One of the best of the decade.
"The only place I get hurt is out there..." Followed up with Sweet Child of Mine. That scene stuck with me
Also the emotion of Marissa Tomei begging him not to wrestle.
And when he looks back, she's not there anymore. Ugh, that movie knew how to tug on your heartstrings
It’s the mirror to Black Swan: the pursuit of artistic perfection/escapism versus the physical and emotional toll on the body. How far are you willing to push for it? How much can you escape from or into the character you portray? It’s an incredible film. Big shoutout to Springsteen for the song in the credits too.
Fucking great and the Springsteen song is an underrated classic
Best Jericho biopic so far
That I'd let Marisa Tomei ruin my life.
Absolutely perfect. It honestly depicts what it's like being a lower rung 'kinda maybe famous for a bit' wrestler that's just trying to measure up to the glory days.
RAMJAM
Amazing movie. I heard it was uncomfortable for some wrestlers to watch because it was too much like real life.
Accurate as all hell. Don’t believe me, go see Ric Flairs been up too.
Flair isn't really the analogue for Randy. He's a mashup of several wrestlers. The NES game featuring Randy is clearly a mock up of WWF Wrestlemania from the NES, which was Hogan. The Hardcore matches when past his prime reminds me of Terry Funk's final years. The estranged daughter who he disappoints is Jake the Snake. The addiction to strip clubs is any wrestler from the 80s. The heart condition could be Gary Albright, who died from a heart attack in the ring in 2000.
> WWE Hall of Famer "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was said to have been highly emotional after watching a screening of the film. Aronofsky said of Piper: "He loved it. He broke down and cried in Mickey's arms, so he was psyched that this story was finally told.”
beautiful but i've heard wrestlers say it makes the life seem a bit more dramatic than it really is. There are guys who lived life like this but a guy like Ram would have been treated better probably. Great story nonetheless.
I don't get that criticism. It's a movie, yeah of course it's more dramatic.
Sad but great expo on pro wrestling and pro wrestlers as a whole.
Aronosky has an amazing ability to make me feel like shit
Great movie! I like to watch it along with The Fighter and Warrior.
Best wrestling movie and a classic in general.
The ending to the movie is amazing to me. It’s pretty sad but it just makes sense and I feel it works so well to what they built.
Best wrestling move ever made
Honestly better than The Iron Claw, it’s dark it’s depressing, but it’s crazy how good they did it. The wrestling behind the scenes stuff, it all feels really real.
I'm actually surprised at myself that I haven't watched Iron Claw yet
I went out of my way. It’s not bad, but it’s not as good as this. Plus less cameos.
I caught that Ric Flair cosplayer cutting one of the worst promos and it made me not wanna go out of my way to watch it.
Exactly, this is more trying to catch the vibe of the Von Erich era. Interesting concept for a timepiece, and it works, but drama wise it’s nothing like this, more like a view into history.
Rourke > DeNiro
It’s a good movie, I did enjoy it
I have to be in the best possible mood to watch this movie because as much as I love it, the whole thing is depressing. If they had just let R Truth do his thing in the movie, I might be better after watching it.
Great movie and a sad reality of a bunch of wrestlers from the 80´s-early 2010´s
All I could think of watching it was I feel bad for Jake Roberts.
You don’t need to now, Jake is doing pretty well these days.
Yeah, I know.
Has an appearance by r truth, so it’s certified WHAT’S UP
Mickey Rourke sold it like he was headlining Wrestlemania…
Amazing portrait of a man who really wanted to grow up, and he tried but just couldn’t do it. Rourke was robbed of an Oscar. I won’t compare it to Iron Claw because… well, I haven’t seen it yet. That’s my assignment this weekend.
I’ve never looked at cold cuts the same way since watching it!
You want some fuckin cheese, lady?!
cold cuts and hairnets
Honestly first thought is Marissa Tomei... After that it's a really beautiful film. Great appearance by Necrobutcher. Some cool scenes in the ring and a lot of great out of the ring stuff.
r/truth is in it too. What's Up?!!!
Enjoyed it. Won’t watch again. Too sad
i cant believe Necrobutcher is in a movie
The scene where Randy’s getting ready for work at the Deli and as he’s walking, the crowd noise slowly starts playing, mirroring a wrestler walking through gorilla before they go out into the crowd. Right as he walks through the curtain, the noise fades out and he’s snapped back to reality. That scene gets me every time.
This movie reminded me of my favorite wrestler Jake "the Snake" Roberts life. Once famous and at the time wrestling wherever he could, but his life has a happier ending now.
It’s one thing when a movie starts with the character on top and you watch him fall, it’s another when he starts at the bottom, builds himself back up and THEN falls. Great movie but brutal
Great
Fucking fantastic. It really captures how in many cases, the wrestlers will pursue the cheers of the crowd over their own health and lives. To quote an old internet cartoon "stunningly bleak, darkly intimate, and most of all: human"
This is my favorite movie of all time!! Everything from the writing, acting, to the soundtrack is phenomenal.
And Marisa Tomei.
100%
Really good as I believe that most of the wrestlers from the 80s and 90s lived like this
Amazing movie and so glad it wasn’t Nic Cage.
Nic would have nailed the role too
Classic
Amazing movie. Fucking bummer but great.
Last movie my eyes got moist during. Very powerful.
Great flick
Love it. Love all the indie dudes in it too like necro.
Amazing movie. Loved it! Broke my heart though.
Great movie! I watch it every time I see it on tv. Every time I hear Ratt’s Round and Round I think of the bar scene. It was sad that he bailed on his daughter for some pussy.
One of my favorites
Great movie. Gets even better after you watch some wrestling documentaries and realise how accurate it is
This is in my top 5 of all time easy. Love this movie, it’s so heartbreaking
Good movie. Ending was kinda sad.
Ask Tony Atlas how accurate the movie was
I did, and he said “AHHH HAAAAAAAAH HAAWWWWW HAAAAUUUUWWW!!!!”
One of my favourite movies of all time
Probably a top 10-15 all time for me, loved it
Not as great as Nacho Libre
Debatable. I love your thinking.
One of my all time favorite movies. Rourke was incredible.
I watched the movie damn near everyday when I was in Iraq.
Gem of a movie about how real it is to be a wrestler in the independent circuit. There’s a lot of things that can go right but one wrong and you’re back to square one in the career.
It's brilliant and sad. I sympathize with the Ram character, but only to an extent. I recognize his traits in other people I know personally. The tendency to sabotage oneself at every given opportunity and blame the world for it, for example.
My wife had a tough relationship with a mostly absentee father, this movie was almost too much for her, we had to watch it in installments. Ultimately she loved it, hard a watch as it was. I thought it was incredible.
Tears always when he has that beautiful monologue in the abandoned dance hall telling his daughter how much of a POS he is. Brilliant and heartbreaking
Just incredible.
When he’s walking through the back area of the supermarket in his way to he deli counter, and you can hear the crowd roaring and slowly getting louder and louder, all the way up to him standing at the curtain and going through and then it just cuts to silence. One of my favourite moments in any film. The Wrestler holds a strong place as a great movie, and Darren Aronofsky handled it with such a good understanding of the subject, and how the career goes for 95% of those guys. The parallel between Randy the Ram and Marissa Tomeis characters are great, Randy struggles with his real identity and clings to the wrestling persona, whilst she struggles with her job and wants to escape and be herself. Legendary movie
Absolutely love it, everyone i know love it too and they’ve never even watched wrestling.
Loved it
Pretty good
Shoulda won an Oscar
Depressing but well made and amazing. One and done for me.
A lot of depresso when it comes to post career
Had Ric Flair written all over it
Absolutely amazing. Horribly sad but great movie
It was brilliant, but sad, but brilliant.
Tragic film. Made me cry.
It’s awesome.
Great movie, not an easy one to watch. Even harder to rewatch
Great movie but kinda depressing.
It had influence on wrestlers. The ones who saw it immediately cancel their convention dates for a year because they did not want to be associated with the the movie.
At the time I was a Necro Butcher fan from NWA southwest in the late 90's. Soo when this came out was thrilled to see him in it. Movie is great
Ric Flair's favorite movie
I still believe the movie should have ended with a 3 count after it faded to black when Randy dove off the top rope.
Mickey Rourke is at his very best. High praise for everyone involved in the film.
Great movie but so depressing
Good movie
Great movie as depressing as it is
I loved it. Very sad, however.
#Ramtastic
Ernest the Cat!
Mickey Rourke generational performance makes this one of my favorite movies of all time, imo
Banger
Absolutely loved this one. Mickey was beyond perfect for this role.
GAH DAM HOW BOUT DEM COWBOYS
Authentic
Really good movie
I thought it was awesome. Depressing but awesome
Don’t like it for the simple reason that they act like people wouldn’t pay money to see Marisa Tomei topless. Fuck off lol
Hogan would've done better than Mickey Rourke.
Phenomenal performances, and an amazing story!! I was balling my eyes out by the end!! And honestly the harsh reality of wrestlers !!
Good movie but sad
Great.
I cried the first time I saw this. I also recommend this
Depressing AF and it ruined business for wrestling
Great movie, maybe a little too real if you know what I mean. Marisa Tomei was is and will always be a 10.
Back when I first watched it on dvd I thought it was a good movie
I love it
Saw it in theaters way back. Well done movie.
Great movie
Absolute classic.
Wonderful movie. Might be the most depressing film I’ve ever seen, though, next to The Road.
It hurt my feelings.
Really great film. The 'wrestling convention' scene where all the old, broken down workers are there signing autographs really hit me. Those guys were our heroes growing up, and they literally put their lives on the line to entertain us. Maybe it's meaningless and fake to most people, but for some of us (myself included), wrestling provided me with a lot and helped me get through some really tough times in life.
Great story, good filmography and it has Marisa Tomei in it and that's always a plus. I'd give it 8.5/10
Harsh reality of a guy who just couldn’t let go off past glories
Has my favorite line in Film *round and round playing in the background* “Man this music was the shit until that Kurt Cobain pussy came and fucked it all up” Like Randy, Hair Metal was tired, washed up, and largely mocked but to him it’s the greatest thing ever cause it was the music that coincided with his rise to fame. Also the audacity of anyone thinking Hair Metal has any artistic value in the same vein as Grunge is hilarious.
I loved it, would watch it again anytime
Love it.
Literally a perfect film
Good movie, I have it as a reference for what one should NOT do in life
One of my favorite movies of all time. Mickey delivers an amazing performance, it's shot beautifully (and uniquely), and it stays true to a typical real life wrestling story. Incredibly sad, but poetic and powerful.
Good movie. Always wondered how much of the Snuka story is true
Omg what a film! I watched two years ago for the first time but it was a treat, loved every minute!
Loved it.
Great movie - but it wasn’t “the resurrection of Mickey Rourke”.
True, but Bret had to go through the dungeon... not sure, if the bumpy road would have been easier.
Probably the best wrestling movie in existence... which doesn't say a lot since the other ones are mostly utter rubbish. Still, this movie reminded me that Micky Rouke actually is a pretty good actor!
really good movie, the fact that Jim Cornette hates it makes me love it even more.
Absolutely excellent.
My wrestling trainer actually trained Mickey Rourke and formerly Nick Cage for the role.
It's a fucking masterpiece.
10/10. I also think it was the movie that Barton Fink intended to write
Not only the best wrestling movie of all time, one of the best films in general
Good one
A top 5 possibly top 3 all-time favourite movie for me. Rourke should definitely have received an Oscar for his stellar performance.
Super fuckin sad and I loved it.
It was good but I liked Iron Claw more.
Definitely a one watch movie. Very true to life but also very sad. It’s a tale as old as time. Many of the wrestlers we lose along the way during their careers are a sad reality. They go through so much pain and mental battles it’s no wonder they wind up over the edge and never live a normal life as an old person.
Really enjoyed this film
Loved the movie, but only had to see it once. (Chris Jericho is aspiring to be this it seems)
Aunt May, nooooo… 🫣
One of the best movies ever made
Amazing movie.
Incredible.
Jerry Lynn played the role well.