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GUEST EDITORIAL - MOVIE REVIEW
By Chris Luther, Public Relations & Community Development - New York, NY
PWTorch.com Reader

I went to see "The Wrestler" on Saturday with one huge wrestling fan (often seen right here on the Raw Reax and in guest editorials) and a friend who often mocks our love of wrestling. All three of us would award it the Slammy for movie of the year.

We went for the 3:00 p.m. show and showed up around 2:30 and bought the last two tickets, but since we needed three tickets, we ended up trading for tickets to the 4:00 p.m. show. We came back an hour early and still ended up being one of the last few people to get into the theatre. So needless to say, this movie was attracting a lot of people wrestling fans and non-wrestling fans alike.

The movie itself was amazing. Unfortunately for me I'd read so many reviews about the movie I over-hyped it for myself. I went in expecting to see the greatest movie of all time and while it wasn't, it is definitely one of the top movies of 2008.

About 30 minutes in, you forget you're watching a movie and think you're watching a documentary. The way it's shot with a lot of handheld cameras back stage at indy shows with appearances from wrestlers such as Ron Killings and Chris Masters (I think) among others, not to mention an aged, out-of-shape Ernest Miller in a major role, it gives it such a real life feel.

Throw in Rourke's ability to really make you believe he's a down-on-his-luck wrestler and the shame he feels while being recognized having to work a "real" job, and you feel like you're watching "Randy The Ram, Wrestling with Shadows."

I could really see why someone like Piper would cry while watching this. At one point, all three of us manly men had tears in our eyes... I mean the other two guys, not me. But Rourke really does show wrestlers as of some sort of a tragic hero. You feel for the guy but at the same time know why people in his personal life must hate him. That feel of love/hate is the mark of a well told story by a great actor and director.

The only negatives I saw were a so called "Super Kick," which was a Booker T sidekick at best and an ending my friends enjoyed, but I thought was more of a TNA cop-out finish.

What I hoped for the most to come from this movie is to convince non-fans to respect wrestling. And while there were some points where I felt the movie poked fun at the industry itself, people will come away respecting the wrestlers themselves.

Non-fans will definitely respect the bodily sacrifice (blading, post-career wheelchairs, etc.), the ability to call a match as it's happening, and simply the dedication to the craft.

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