The Wrestler

[Gold Trumpet]

spoilies.....

But I refuse to just check my gut on whether a movie worked. The ending was total formula and contrary to the rest of the film. And yes, "doesn't happen" is a valid criticism film here. The credibility of the entire film is that it banks on the experience of professional wrestlers. The whole narrative of the first half of the film is docu-drama to what they go through so it is important to have an ending that speaks to their experience. It doesn't need to speak to the exact experience of a real dead wrestler, but it needs to compliment their end in better ways. I don't buy that a good rationalization can make a generic ending feel authentic when it just reminds me of other bad stories. Besides, lots of people that like the film admit that the story enters cliche toward the end. Should we just buy it hook, line and sinker?

Are you on meth? The ending is not cliche. In fact, it takes active steps to circumvent cliche. He. Fucking. Dies. (Yes I know the ending is somewhat ambiguous but I think it's pretty clear that regardless of whether he dies at that moment or several weeks or even months later, his fate is to die doing the thing he was born to do). Nevermind the fact that he and Marisa Tomei's character don't end up living happily ever after, nor does he reunite with his daughter.

Here's a cliche ending: after a much-prolonged, gut-busting battle, the Ram looks up in the stands and sees Maria Tomei's character mouth "I believe in you" and then delivers one last, devastating blow, knocking out his opponent and triumphantly winning the match. Marisa then jumps into the ring - and what the hell, so does his daughter out of nowhere - and they share a 3-way hug while a melodramatic John Williams score circa 1980s Spielberg swells on the soundtrack.

The only thing in my book that could be argued cliche is the whole stripper with a heart of gold in a low-budge film bit, and even that's a non-issue b/c her character is a dynamic and multi-dimensional one, not to mention the obvious wrester/stripper as performers parallel.

You've never heard of the dramatic cliche where the hero has to die? Sure, what you say about "happy endings" is a cliche, but there are cliches that are also nihilisitic and very dark. The tone of the ending doesn't make it interesting.

I don't even care that he died. In my ending he would die too, but he wouldn't have died in an unbelievable and half absurd scene where everything comes together between two characters. Wrestlers can die the way that Rourke's character does, but come on, it never happens and is just a preposterous plot device. Besides, aren't there a million stories where a character suddenly has a revelation and runs to save someone from making a big mistake? Yes, in this instance it was a failure, but the fact the film would use that set up to make it its dramatic conclusion makes the ending a cliche.

[Alexandro]

Yeah I agree that the film is extremely cliched. I think I expected a few more surprises scriptwise, I just didn't like to know where this was going so early on. Of course it is SAVED by the performances and the little touches of originality that Arronofsky is able to put here and there, I loved the musical choices and the way the real wrestling world is portrayed. Thank God they didn't went the "million dollar baby" way and made the final opponent a ridiculous disney villain, but a lot of the other stuff was way too predictable for me to completely enjoy it.

It didn't felt so much a character study as a kind of re examining of this kind of story. There Will Be Blood or Raging Bull are truly great character studies, this one kind of falls short in that department. It feels like it really wants to be, and will be original, but then it doesn't. It's not bad really, but I had higher hopes.

[Pozer]

Sure, what you say about "happy endings" is a cliche, but there are cliches that are also nihilisitic and very dark. The tone of the ending doesn't make it interesting.

all i know is these days i'd take a cliche happy ending over a dun nuh nuh duh nuh duh-you figure out the rest one. biggest cliche/cop out of 'em all. and Gold Trump is right about tone not making up for it.

i'm growing so tired of dedicating my time and involvement in story and characters only to be left unfulfilled in the end. i dont want to come up with my own damn interpretation anymore. i want a satisfying ending. good or bad. i see them coming everytime too. the end credits. everytime with 'loose end' movies - "No, it couldn't possibly..yep, it's gonna do it. they're gonna roll..aaaand there they are-sonuvabitch."

i wanted The Wrestler to come back from the black to Mickey's mug there on the canvas mat of the ring with Springstein kicking in over his closed eyes flickering as they barely come open to catch Marissa through the ropes, loosing her attempted advance to him through the crowd then his eyes giving up and falling shut again (a smile too much?) and then cut back to the black. in No Country, after Tommy Lee Jones saw the screws and the dime in the carpet, i wanted him to put together what went down there at the motel through flashback all the way back to what happened with Brolin and the girl/Mexicans arriving/killing the two/Mexicans not being able to find money/Javier arriving/witnessing cops (including Jones) at scene of crime/going in after they all leave and finding money in air vent. actually, Coens could've still had their b.s. dream ending after this, this was more of a needed something more ending than a make up your own mind one.

Doubt was the latest casualty for me. something. more. missing. 
     

[©brad]

i wanted The Wrestler to come back from the black to Mickey's mug there on the canvas mat of the ring with Springstein kicking in over his closed eyes flickering as they barely come open to catch Marissa through the ropes, loosing her attempted advance to him through the crowd then his eyes giving up and falling shut again (a smile too much?) and then cut back to the black. in No Country, after Tommy Lee Jones saw the screws and the dime in the carpet, i wanted him to put together what went down there at the motel through flashback all the way back to what happened with Brolin and the girl/Mexicans arriving/killing the two/Mexicans not being able to find money/Javier arriving/witnessing cops (including Jones) at scene of crime/going in after they all leave and finding money in air vent. actually, Coens could've still had their b.s. dream ending after this, this was more of a needed something more ending than a make up your own mind one.

Wow. Those would be two really bad endings.

[Stefen]

i wanted The Wrestler to come back from the black to Mickey's mug there on the canvas mat of the ring with Springstein kicking in over his closed eyes flickering as they barely come open to catch Marissa through the ropes, loosing her attempted advance to him through the crowd then his eyes giving up and falling shut again (a smile too much?) and then cut back to the black. in No Country, after Tommy Lee Jones saw the screws and the dime in the carpet, i wanted him to put together what went down there at the motel through flashback all the way back to what happened with Brolin and the girl/Mexicans arriving/killing the two/Mexicans not being able to find money/Javier arriving/witnessing cops (including Jones) at scene of crime/going in after they all leave and finding money in air vent. actually, Coens could've still had their b.s. dream ending after this, this was more of a needed something more ending than a make up your own mind one.

"FUCK YEAH"

[Pozer]

Wow. Those would be two really bad endings.

you're a brad ending.

[RegularKarate]

Yeah, sorry Pozer, those ending would have really sucked.

Also, what the fuck is so ambiguous about the end to the Wrestler?  It's pretty obvious.

I will agree with a little bit so that it doesn't appear that I'm attacking my good friend Pozer because I hate it when an ending is ambiguous just to be "artsy"... as if it's done so when you say "your movie sucked" they can just be like "You're just mad because you couldn't figure out who the killer was on your own".

[Pozer]

i dont defend those endings. i was trying to say..something. more. something. in truth, i dont even remember coming into The Wrestler thread yestereevnin. i think i was trying to defend Gold Trump for a change w/having only enough energy to read a smidgen of his post & ended up not defending him at all. i dont even remember what doubt was about. penguins or some such?

i have several more bad endings to movies written out on Del Taco napkins that ill probably end up sharing next time i'm sauced up and alone. tonight.

[picolas]

canadian version is missing 'within the ring', whatever that was...


...someonemegaupplzz?

[MacGuffin]

canadian version is missing 'within the ring', whatever that was...

It's a 42 minute making-of/behind-the-scenes doc. It talks about how the film came about, Aronofsky's shooting style, couple deleted scenes, the music, etc.

[picolas]

BAHHH

obviously i'll search for this but if anyone else finds it please let me know.

[polkablues]

Canada gets different versions of DVDs than US?  I assumed they just repeated all the text on the packaging in French and then called it a day.

[picolas]

you're right aside from like three movies. of which the wrestler is one.

we got better cover art though.



i'll probably end up buying the us dvd and slapping the canadian cardboard keepcase overtop from work. but still keep eyes peeled for this doc!