“Warm” and “human” are not two words you associate with Darren Aronofsky, but in 'The Wrestler' he is both, thanks in large part to the heartbreakingly open and vulnerable performance from Mickey Rourke, the comeback story of 2008.

| Apr 6, 2024

The Wrestler presents one of those rare occasions where the performance of its lead actor outweighs a film’s conventional story.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 5, 2023

A grittily stark and oftentimes sadly humorous look into the life of a lamentable man and his tragic profession.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Nov 28, 2020

The battered dignity of Rourke's performance is so touching that by the time he makes his big statement of faith to his fans even the toughest and most cynical of viewers will find their eyes going moist.

| Nov 15, 2020

It is powerful, yet it is graceful.

| Original Score: 4.0/4.0 | Sep 27, 2020

The Wrestler is an astounding portrait of a broken man.

| Jan 27, 2020

But this is, of course, [Mickey] Rourke's moment. As the increasingly desperate and bewildered Ram he is aggressive and vulnerable, frightening and sympathetic as he struggles to find a place in a world that's leaving him behind.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Nov 4, 2019

Rourke has risen again and delivered a performance for the ages.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 6, 2019

It's unfathomable to imagine The Wrestler without Rourke... It's one of those rare cinematic experiences where an actor and a role come together in perfect harmony.

| Original Score: A | May 22, 2019

...the real-life horror of professional wrestling is evident in the ruined bodies of Randy and his peers...

| Original Score: 7/10 | Nov 3, 2018

Rourke doesn't just make good on the promise of his early work; he makes a miracle.

| Oct 17, 2018

A story of personal ruin and while it certainly does echo Mickey's own life, it wouldn't be fair to say he is playing himself. Sure, Rourke's performance must have been informed by his own past, but that is different, as well as peculiarly powerful.

| Aug 29, 2018

With another director, and most tellingly, with hundreds of other actors, The Wrestler might easily have descended into cliché.

| Feb 5, 2018

Great performances, great story.

| Original Score: A | Mar 21, 2017

A quarter-century (and, one senses, a lot longer in Rourke Years) since he pulled the popcorn-bag trick on Carol Heathrow and then talked his way back into her good graces, we'll still forgive Mickey Rourke anything.

| May 17, 2016

The most interesting aspect of the film is its depiction of the irreconcilable difference between someone's public and private personae.

| Oct 7, 2015

As the film points out, wrestling may be fixed, but it certainly ain't fake. This may be a film, but it certainly ain't fake either.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Oct 21, 2014

Darren Aronofsky's filmmaking in The Wrestler is the most subtle and nuanced he's ever done.

| Original Score: A | Feb 20, 2014

The movie is populated with real wrestlers, and it makes sure to nail all the little details.

| Original Score: A- | Jun 22, 2013

Emotional and engaging, The Wrestler is a masterful piece of work that deserves every award the Academy can throw at it.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Sep 29, 2012