When I was younger I loved to watch professional wrestling. I loved the larger than life characters, the dramatic story arcs, and the colorful entrances. As a young boy my brother and I would tune into Monday Night RAW and thought each wrestler was a superhero. Each one dashing, leaping, and slamming their opponents to settle the fight of good versus evil. It was hard for me to picture their lives as anything but adoration and excitement. I also always imagined them walking into any store and having their entrance music play over the speaker system. However in 2008 I was exposed to a different story. One less of adoration and more of loneliness. Less of strength and more of brittleness. A cautionary tale about the dangers of fame and clinging to past glories.
So if you’re like me and you enjoy film and the impact and emotions it can convey then grab a glass of your preferred liquid and join me for the next half hour. For me, that’s a bottle of Baltimore Blonde from our friends down at Guinness. So sit back, relax, and let’s talk about the love of film. Welcome to “Glazed Cinema“
Professional wrestling is a highly entertaining and physically demanding profession. The characters are larger than life and represent something in us that ties our imagination to them. Each wrestler has to be in peak physical condition and understand how to work and look out for each other in the ring. After all, the margin of error is very slim and that margin between a successful match and an unsuccessful match can lead to serious physical injury. Fans crowd packed arenas and stadiums to cheer on their favorites as the stories and action unfurl before them. Whether it's taking your breath away, making you jump out of your seat, or watch on in awe, professional wrestlers have inspired fans for years, capturing our imaginations and tugging at heart strings in some way.
My favorite wrestler growing up was Triple H. I loved to see the growth of his character, his story lines, and the groups he formed like DX and Evolution. He was this massive guy who wrestled with heart and intensity. He also had, at least in my opinion, the greatest entrance in history. If you aren't familiar check it out, I think you'll see what I'm talking about...plus he walked out to Motorhead, what's not to love? Triple H now works for WWE and is still very involved in the business, helping talent flourish. Though he hasn't officially retired, WWE has done a lot of good with retired wrestlers like Booker T, Billy Gunn, A-Train, and William Regal, all involved in multiple facets of the business. It's really awesome to see that they are taken care of and are helping to mold future generations of stars. Like anything else though, a handful isn't the case for all. For some wrestlers, life after wrestling is a rougher affair and one that I was a unfamiliar with.
In 2008 I was exposed to a fictional story of what life after wrestling can be like, told through the lens of one Randy “The Ram” Robinson. An aged and broken professional wrestler struggling to make ends meat and wrestling independently on weekends. Trying to woo the crowds and epitomize his character The Ram, The Wrestler portrayed a side of wrestling I hadn't been exposed to.
The opening credits of this film say everything we need to know about who we are about to follow for the next couple hours. It starts with newspaper and magazine clippings scattered across the screen as the camera scans left to tight through each of them. Quiet Riot's Mental Health plays in the background as the colorful collage of text and imagery passes by. Accompanied by the music are clips of voices, who at different points sound like announcers and ringside commentators as they describe some of Randy's in ring work. The last bit of this commentary comes from what sounds like a ringside commentator stating:
"April 6, 1989 will forever go down in professional wrestling history."
After the opening credits it goes quiet followed by the sound of coughing. The camera cuts to a brightly lit kindergarten classroom. There are colorful drawings taped on walls of cinder blocks, half painted white and blue. There’s an air hockey table holding up books on the right wall with clothes scattered along the floor with a toy truck underneath. In the front left there is a standing chalkboard with names and scribbles on it. In the middle of all this...is Randy. Sitting hunched over on a metal folding chair with his wrestling tights on, he breathes and leans back against the cold steel. On the floor along the bottom of the screen reads the words “20 years later”.
Among the silence a man wearing a hockey jersey comes in and hands him a bill fold, complementing Randy on the performance. Ram grabs the money and counts it, afterward hanging his head and holding up his hand as if to ask "What is this?"...to which the explains “Sorry, I was sure the gate would be better”. While spouting off about a legends signing the man walks away while Randy sits clearly disappointed with his payout for a hard nights work. We exit the room behind Randy and into a gymnasium where the ring and folding chairs are being torn down. He sports a black jacket and jeans and we notice a hearing aid on his left ear. On the way out signs autographs for two fans who talk of the glory days from years past. As he walks toward a door across the room the camera cuts to a plastic action figure of Randy on the dashboard of a moving vehicle. As the camera zooms out we see lights pass by from outside as the song “Don't know What you got till it’s gone” plays on the speakers. Before the word gone greets our ears the camera cuts again to the sound of the car door closing.
Outside the vehicle now Randy walks toward his trailer, jangling his keys preparing to unwind and relax. Sighing. Coughing. Grunting. He steps up to the door and tries to unlock the front door. He pulls, but it won’t budge. He tries again and after another failed attempt he inspects the door to find a larger lock on the outside. Visibly upset he ventures to the other door and upon arrival we see that the door knob has been locked down so that no key can be inserted. Leaning on the trailer in disbelief the camera cuts again as he walks up and onto a covered deck to another trailer. Coming up on the door we see a sign that reads "Manager’s Office". Banging on the door he pleads for the man "Lenny" to open the door, but to no avail.
Walking back we see his van parked outside. Opening the back doors he climbs in and turns on a flashlight. We see the face of Randy, played by Mickey Rourke for the first time. Removing white tape from his forearms and takes out a metal box. Opening the lid he takes out a bottle of prescription pills and puts it in his mouth. Opening a can of beer he washes it down and sits in the darkness of the night, the flashlight his only light source. He sits against the side of his van the camera moves around to reveal a collage of photos. Each one a memory of his glory days as a professional wrestler. As he sits, swallowing the alcohol he quietly gazes pensively at the photos. As the camera zooms in he looks down and we hear him hit the flashlight and the screen fades to black once again.
This is Randy’s life and told under the direction of Darren Aronofsky he resides far from the arenas, the applause, the action, and the fame.
Throughout the first quarter of the film we see his weekly routine and meet those important people that are in his life. There's the manager at the local ACME who helps him get more hours when needed and takes slight jabs at Randy when he can. There's the dealer at the local gym who hooks him up with pills including steroids and painkillers. However, no other person it seems is more important to Randy than Cassidy. Played by Marissa Tomei, Cassidy is a middle aged exotic dancer who works at the strip club that Randy frequents. The first time we meet her she’s in a private room with a group of men having a bachelor party. The Ram approaching the room to talk to Cassidy listens in as the men complain of her age and insult her. After bursting into the room he defends her honor while the three men exit stage left. It’s clear that he cares for her and that there is some sort of emotional attachment there.
There’s a lot of greatness in this film. Mickey Rourke and Marissa Tomei’s performance are fantastic as they play with such honesty and rawness. The characters really come alive and makes us feel for what is unfurling in front of us. Aronofsky‘s direction and the cinematography is wonderfully done and I love the over the shoulder shots that sprinkle the film. The way the camera plays into scenes is brilliant. It’s wide and removed when the scene is a bit more mundane and close and intimate when it’s personal and important. The overall rawness of the film in my mind is also something that should be applauded as that helps to tie everything together beautifully.
A lot of scenes stick out in this film, but there’s one that particularly does, at least for me. We join Cassidy in the strip club as she makes her rounds trying to get a dance. Each patron she asks snubs the offer by either declining or in some cases saying absolutely nothing. As she walks away from her last rejection she sports a look of disappointment while a voice calls to her. She looks over, her hair swinging with the sway of her head. Randy sits at the bar smiling and as she smiles back she sits down next to him. He tells her that he talked to his daughter and that she was not happy to see him. They talk of things he can do for his daughter and each question she asks Randy to learn about her, he provides no information.
“What kind of music does she like?...”Does she like cooking or books?”
Each time she’s met with a response similar to, “I really don’t know”. After offering the suggestion of clothing she writes down a store that he can shop in. After exchanging the handwritten note she asks “Wanna dance?” Randy, who has recently had a heart attack looks down and says “I don’t think I’m quite ready for that yet”. Her smile fades to disappointment as she gets up and walks away. As we follow her we see her gaze around the room, observing the patrons...all of them looking elsewhere.
What I like about that scene is that it connects the two characters. Before that scene Cassidy seems to be on a different playing field. She has a job, she seems successful at what she does, but more than that Randy confides in her. With this scene however we see that both Cassidy and Randy are in a similar situation. Both are at a crossroads in their lives. They’re aging out of their professions for one reason or another and are each trying to decipher which road to take next. The playing fields it would seem have become level.
Another scene that's quite impactful is when Randy attends a legend signing. He arrives early and greets the other wrestlers, most of whom are older and retired. He sets up his table with the merch he has available to sell and sits, awaiting incoming fans. Unfortunately the turn out is not great and there is a mother and son duo that walk around to each table. We see this through Randy's point of view. He looks on to watch as the wrestler interacts with them and we see aged technology in the form of VHS tapes on the table. His eyes scan down and we see a catheter bag protruding his pant leg. It's a heartbreaking moment as we understand that these once great performers are now in such a different place in their lives.
There's also a scene that's quite subtle, but one that I personally think is incredible. We join Randy, who stands in front of a mirror as he adjusts his hair under a hair net. He and the manager have a verbal sparring match about his name tag as he wants to be known as Randy, not his birth name of Robin. Disappointed he turns and begins to walk down the hallway, the camera following close behind. We hear the buzz of electricity as we walk by the store's power system, heating, and cooling units. Within this buzzing is a dim roar of a crowd, yelling, and whistling. Before we enter a brightly lit room the roar of the crowd grows and breaking the threshold into the luminous room our hears suddenly hear music that plays over the loudspeaker. We see the safety and slogan posters plastered on the white walls and soon we turn another corner and begin descending down a dim and narrow stairwell. Randy breathes heavily as he steps, the sound of his boots thumping on each level descended on. The sound of the crowd returns, building in volume. Soon we're in the backroom surrounded by cardboard boxes, warehouse racks, all the while we follow Randy step by step. The sound of the crowd is getting louder still and they begin chanting and whistling. We turn another corner, the sound at a fever pitch as The Ram stands silhouetted in a pitch black doorway, looking out to a brightly lit area, separates by a translucent plastic barrier. He breathes heavily, the crowd powering him up as he prepares to enter the arena. He raises his hands, pushing through the plastic barrier and the sound of the crowd quickly fades to the music played over the loudspeaker once again. Randy has indeed entered his arena, ready to go to work. I love that entire sequence, it's quite fantastic. I love how his two professions meet, one feeding off the other, and giving him the necessary energy to do what he needs to do.
I don't want to talk about too much within this film, as it deserves to be experienced from minute one to minute one hundred fifteen, however I will talk about one more. This scene I find quite touching. Randy takes his daughter to the boardwalk and recants old memories of when he would take her there when she was little. He says “ You used to stand on my foot and hold my leg and we would walk through the whole thing together”. She says “I don’t remember that”, to which he answers “I do”. After this we see them sitting on a brick framed wall overlooking the ocean. The camera cuts close on Randy as he shares a heartfelt profession:
I just want to tell you. I’m the one who was supposed to take care of everything...I’m the one who was supposed to make everything okay for everybody. It just didn’t work out like that...And I left...I left you. You never did anything wrong…i used to try and forget about you. I used to try and pretend that you didn’t exist...but I can’t. You’re my girl. You’re...you're my little girl...and now...I’m a broken down piece of meat...and I’m alone...and I deserve to be all alone. I just don't want you to hate me. Okay?”
As they walk they are apart, but soon she locks arms with his right and puts her head on his shoulder. Reaching a door she gestures him forward and kicks the door in, revealing a ballroom. The room is baron and broken and as they playfully bow to each other they share a dance amid the crumbled ruin of whatever extravagance used to exist. Much like the relationship between the two now, a relic of what once was.
This scene is also a pivotal point in the film as everything in Randy’s life begins to spiral out of the control he’s cultivated for himself. The story of the people within The Wrestler is told quite delicately, portraying the characters in an honest and fragile light. Watching the film I felt like I was witnessing someone navigate a tightrope...One wrong move and everything goes awry.
This film had quite the impact on me when I saw it in 2008. I was eighteen years old at the time and I remember being emotionally taken by the characters. I rooted for them when they were riding high and was cringing and disappointed when they were slumping low. I truly cared about what happened to them and their wellbeing, which is a testament to it’s greatness. This film as I said in the beginning sets the tone early and it doesn’t let up. It’s raw and real in the best ways. The camera moves quite free, which makes every moment feel that much more real. It's through that realness where it delivers the emotion and thoughtfulness.
Through Randy we see his day to day...his ups and downs...his successes and mistakes. We see the dangers of clinging to fame and how damaging it can be. That was my biggest takeaway of this film. It's very easy to be whisked away when you succeed and to want to ride a wave of celebration. If you're not careful though, you might get caught up in the sweet smell of success and start hitting obstacles that you'd otherwise avoid. It's the danger of sticking to what we know and not going anywhere now or evolve ourselves. Whether you are a fan of professional wrestling or not, I think we can all find something that we can relate to in this film as it is a very human story.
Aronofsky did a tremendous job heading this film with his vision and eye for detail. In fact he won a Golden Lion for his efforts that year. I also remember being invested in the Oscars that year too. I was so hopeful that Rourke and Tomei would win their nominations, but alas. As a fan of professional wrestling I really enjoyed seeing a film that treated the subject with such tenderness and respect. I hope that this podcast has treated the subject with the equal amount of respect as it deserves quite a lot.
If you’d like to watch The Wrestler for yourself you can find it on streaming services like Prime Video, Apple TV+, and VUDU, each for $3.99 if you subscribe to those services. You can also find it on YouTube, iTunes, and Google Play for $3.99 as well.
If you’d like to learn more about the podcast please feel free to visit our website at glazedcinema.com. There you’ll find some background on the show and also a place to submit ideas for future episodes. For film fans who are hearing impaired the blog page on our website features each episode in written form as well. If you like this podcast tell your friends or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Each week there will be new content including hints about episodes before they air and more. As always, thanks for listening and I hope to see you next time, with another beverage and another fine film ex
Comments