The Wrestler is clearly a vehicle to get Mickey Rourke an Oscar nomination. It succeeded at that, deservedly, and bagged one for Marisa Tomei as well. I suppose Tomei got hers for still looking good with her clothes off, and maybe that's as good a reason for an Oscar nomination as any.
Aronofsky is a capable director, but the subject matter here is uncomfortable, much as it was in Requiem For A Dream (6 rating). It's all very stylish, but do we really want to watch that? At least that is better than being boring, as he was with Pi (5 rating) and The Fountain (4 rating).
Rourke is very believable as an aging profession wrestler, but unless you are interested in that genre, the film doesn't offer much more. This isn't Raging Bull (8 rating), where both De Niro and Scorsese were able to create something much more than the story of a boxer's career. It's a good effort with an excellent performance, but not as good as it is hyped up to be.
It also has one cheap, sensationalistic scene, where Rourke punches a meat saw in frustration. No need for that. A 6 rating.
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