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The Wrestler

I looked to see if there was another thread about this film and didn't see one.

I ordered this last night and watched it. I have been a wrestling fan nce about age 6, I love wrestling. So needless to say I was excited to watch this film. After seeing it though I was really quite disappointed. I really expected more especially with all the hype surrounding the film and the Oscar nomination.

It is depresng from beginning to end. They bacally ripped the character Randy "The Ram" off of Jake "The Snake" if you have ever seen the documentary Beyond the Mat that came out years ago. The story is the same. He used to wrestle in front of 20,000 people and now he wrestles in a high school gym with about 50. He is broken down, does drugs, lives like a bum, has horrible family problems, you get the picture. It goes on and on and what was a 2 hour movie felt like it could have been condensed into 90 minutes ealy.

My biggest gripe with the movie was the fact that they never sold me on the fact that Randy "The Ram" was this huge deal. They did an opening montage showing off old posters and you heard the roar of the crowd but that was it. It opens with him being a run down image of his former self. You never see him at his best which just killed it for me....

Anyone else seen this?

I loved it.

They didn't have to sell me on the fact that he was a huge deal in his prime because people drop off the radar all the time in that buness.

Think back to when you were a kid watching wrestling in a packed arena with tens of thousands of screaming fans.

How many of those people that you once idolized have actually been heard from lately?

I honestly can only think of a handful of my "heroes" from back in the day that have done anything noteworthy recently.

In reality, I'd guess that the majority of the old-timers lead lives milar to Randy "The Ram" . . . well, maybe not quite so bleak.

I thought Rourke did a brilliant job, and I actually felt real sympathy for his character.

True, it was depresng, but that was kind of the whole point.

I was middle of the road on this film.

Thought it was good (and better than most hollywood garbage) but still thought it could have been so much more.

Plus I didn't think there was enough story to fill it's running time.

Still I think it was pretty good and if you're not a wrestling fan or don't know much about wrestling than you should absolutely watch this!

I just bought it. I really enjoyed it but I see where your coming from BOOMAN. Jake the Snake was my idol back in the day. I got that vibe from The Ram as well.

Pm me with the video you were talking.

Hey guys, here is the documentary I was talking about. If you haven't seen this watch it, seriously it is good and you will know exactly what I am talking about...


href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Mat">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Mat

I do think it was sort of a rip off of Jake as most of it certainly seems like his life but

honestly it is the same for many wrestlers. I have been around wrestling nce I was born as my dad knew a bunch of the wrestlers down in Texas and so I was around alot of them as a kid and am again now through some of the guys i know through NWA. It is far from as glorious as it is usually made out to be. Once they are "used up" by the big companies it alot of times ends up this same way. Overall I thought it was a good movie and certainly gives some of the non fans a more realistic look nto wrestling.

Here is a video or more sound as the video sucks from one of my favorite wrestlers in the NWA.
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk8nqoq4PAw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk8nqoq4PAw