The Wrestler is a 2008 film directed by Darren Aronofsky and stars Mickey Rourke as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a former professional wrestler struggling to make ends meet in suburban New Jersey. The film explores the harsh realities of life for an aging wrestler, with Robinson experiencing physical and emotional turmoil in equal measure as he struggles to come to grips with his fading star power.
The movie begins with Robinson as a wrestling superstar, performing in front of packed stadiums and adoring fans. However, the film fast-forwards twenty years to find Robinson in a far different place. He now wrestles in low-rent arenas, to a much smaller and less passionate crowd. He also finds himself working menial jobs to pay the bills, constantly battling injury and a general sense of disconnection from the world around him.
Despite this, Robinson's love for wrestling remains strong, and he sets his sights on a wrestling comeback. Along the way, he also develops a relationship with a single mother named Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), who works as a stripper at a local club. As he tries to come to terms with his past mistakes and build a new future for himself, Robinson's journey is one of heartbreak and redemption in equal measure.
The Wrestler explores themes of aging, regret, and the dangers of nostalgia with great sensitivity and bravura filmmaking. The performances by Rourke, Tomei, and one of Hollywood's greatest music stars, Bruce Springsteen, are all large contributors to the success of the film. The movie is a heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting meditation on the human condition, and marks one of the best movies of the 21st century.