Movie Trick

An all-but-unrecognizable Mickey Rourke stars as an aging Hulk Hogan-inspired professional wrestler, desperately trying to hold onto his larger-then-life glory days of the 80s. In a parallel plotline, Marisa Tomei costars as an aging stripper, also holding onto her youth as long as she can. Shot with ample use of hand-held, documentary-style cameras, Rourke and Tomei give outstanding performances in challenging roles (Rourke reportedly bulked up 35 pounds for the part), while director Darren Aronofsky succeeds in showing the grittier, human sides of both professional wrestling and the stripping life without resorting to trickery or pandering to emotion. The Wrestler has an honest, kick-in-the-gut feel, much like life itself. While often violent and not for the faint at heart, the flick is also realistic and pulls off the nearly impossible: making an exceedingly watchable, interesting, and entertaining movie about the drama that is professional wrestling.

Production Status: In Production/Awaiting Release
Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama and Sports
Running Time: 1 hr. 45 min.
Release Date: December 17th, 2008 (limited)
MPAA Rating: R
Distributors: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Production Co.: Protozoa Pictures, Saturn Films, Wild Bunch
Financiers: Winchester Capital Partners
Filming Locations: New Jersey, United States
New Jersey, USA
Produced in: United States
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Judah Friedlander, Ajay Naidu 
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky 
Produced by: Vincent Maraval, Agnes Mentre, Jennifer Roth

Trailer: