Our classic movie pick of the week includes possibly one of the most overlooked performances from the last ten years, Mickey Rourke’s brilliant turn in The Wrestler.
Nearing the end of his career and heading towards inevitable retirement, a former professional wrestler named Randy “The Ram” Robinson decides to look for the positives in his life and to make right what has gone wrong.
However, things are never that straight forward and we discover that Randy has a lot of apologising to do to his daughter who he essentially abandoned in the past.
Even if you are not a fan of wrestling, there is something completely devastating about watching a man nearing the end of his prime and trying to make up for past wrongs. Mickey Rourke is absolutely excellent in a role for which he was sadly overlooked by the Academy.
There is also some brilliant performances from Marisa Tomei as Cassidy and Evan Rachel Wood as Randy’s daughter, Stephanie.
Try not to cry at that last scene, we nearly always do.
The Wrestler will air on TG4 at 9.30pm tonight!
