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The Wrestler
Metascore
81 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 36 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    This is Rourke doing astonishing physical acting.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    100
    The movie has the simplicity and confidence of a Johnny Cash song.
  3. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    100
    The Wrestler is a character study, no more and no less, yet it's open-ended enough to function as many things.
  4. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Jenni Miller
    100
    Rourke is getting tons of press and award nominations, but Marisa Tomei kicks ass too. Not only does the one-time Oscar winner look amazing and perform her own pole tricks, but she effectively humanizes what could be just another naked chick in a movie.
  5. Empire
    Reviewed by: Dan Jolin
    100
    An emotional smackdown. Rourke's never been better, and the change of pace and texture suits Aronofsky perfectly. "The Raging Bull" of wrestling movies? Oh, go on then.
  6. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    100
    The Wrestler is like "Rocky" made by the Scorsese of "Mean Streets." It's the rare movie fairy tale that's also a bravura work of art.
  7. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    100
    Rourke creates a galvanizing, humorous, deeply moving portrait that instantly takes its place among the great, iconic screen performances. An elemental story simply and brilliantly told, Darren Aronofsky's fourth feature is a winner from every possible angle.
  8. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    91
    It's a raw and honest film, and it keeps its feet firmly on the ground, even as The Ram flies through the air to deliver -- or receive -- another beating in the squared circle of life.
  9. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    90
    Like its hero, the movie has a blunt, exuberant honesty, pulling off even its false moves with conviction and flair.
  10. Slate
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    90
    The Ram is sometimes--often, even--a manipulative, self-pitying man, but Rourke and Aronofsky paint his portrait with a rigorous dignity.
  11. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Anthony Lane
    90
    What Rourke offers us, in short, is not just a comeback performance but something much rarer: a rounded, raddled portrait of a good man. Suddenly, there it is again--the charm, the anxious modesty, the never-distant hint of wrath, the teen-age smiles, and all the other virtues of a winner.
  12. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    88
    You watch The Wrestler (with a superb title song from Bruce Springsteen) in a state of pure exhilaration. A great actor in a great movie will do that to you.
  13. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    88
    The Wrestler works for the same reason "Rachel Getting Married" works. The way they're acted, shot, edited and scored, both films deploy a loose, rough-hewn documentary style to great dramatic advantage. The corn isn't hyped. The performances click without going for the jugular.
  14. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    88
    The Wrestler presents a fascinating peek at the workings of the pro wrestling industry (the tenderness and humor the athletes share backstage is the complete opposite of the ferocity they display in the ring).
  15. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    88
    The Wrestler offers something to pretty much everyone in the audience. Much like "The Sopranos," it creates a world that might make you feel utterly at home or exhilarated by strange horrors. Maybe both.
  16. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    88
    It's a haunting, scary, funny, sad portrayal from Rourke.
  17. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    88
    Aronofsky's directorial style is simple and spare. There are no flourishes or attempts to convince us that he is a master of his craft.
  18. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    88
    The film's a little more accessible than "Requiem for a Dream" and a lot easier to understand than "The Fountain," but its low-key grunginess may restrict its appeal to people who have liked professional wrestling and/or Rourke.
  19. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    83
    It's bleak, credulity straining and often stomach-turning, but it definitely works as a heart-tugging character study, and Rourke's performance as the has-been title character is golden.
  20. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Noel Murray
    83
    Mostly though, the movie feeds off Rourke, who plays a genuinely decent guy who never lets his dawning self-awareness interfere with his responsibility to give the fans a show.
  21. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Stephen Farber
    80
    Bolstered by a career-best performance from Mickey Rourke and outstanding work by Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood.
  22. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    80
    Both Rourke and Tomei bring a tender, lived-in honesty to their sad roles.
  23. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    80
    Director, Darren Aronofsky, and the writer, Robert D. Siegel, have turned the story of this washed-up faux gladiator into a film of authentic beauty and commanding consequence.
  24. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    80
    He looks like a truck ran over him, but at 52 he's still ripped enough to get away with the role; in the end the movie is about Rourke's indomitability more than the character's.
  25. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Josh Rosenblatt
    78
    As far as I'm concerned, you can keep your Sean Penns and your Brad Pitts and your Frank Langellas; if there's any justice in the world, this year's best actor Academy Award will be going home with Rourke.
  26. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    75
    The story has its clichéd and sentimental moments. It's no "Raging Bull," more like "Rocky" shot with a handheld camera. But Rourke's wounded tough guy is undeniably captivating.
  27. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Liam Lacey
    75
    The excesses are easy to forgive, both for the humour and charisma of Rourke's outsized performance and Aronofsky's canny low-key direction, which make for a combination that is irresistible.
  28. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Matthew Sorrento
    70
    The Wrestler could have been a groundbreaking drama, one that upturns the sensational genre roots from which it stems. With Rourke in such form, it could have been character-driven to the core – if only Aronofsky trusted his character enough to resist screenwriter Siegel's contrived plot thrusts.
  29. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Stephanie Zacharek
    70
    Whatever Aronofsky did -- or didn't -- do, Rourke's performance comes off beautifully. The Wrestler may not be the "best" Aronofsky movie in any technical sense. But the director clearly feels a great deal of tenderness toward his lead character.
  30. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    70
    Present in every scene, if not each shot, Rourke gives a tremendously physical performance that The Wrestler essentially exists to document.
  31. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: John Anderson
    70
    As good as Rourke is, and as willingly as he throws himself on the figurative hand grenade, his performance constantly begs the question of whether the story would be worth telling without him. Marisa Tomei, as Cassidy the pole dancer, delivers a courageous performance, one nearly as ego-battering as Rourke's.
  32. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    67
    A heavy dose of corn syrup. Director Darren Aronofsky's herky-jerky, hand-held camera stylistics have a veneer of verity, but don't be fooled. This pastiche, written by Robert Siegel, is purest Hollywood.
  33. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Michael Sragow
    63
    This movie has an aura of forced tragedy, like a fourth-generation version of "Requiem for a Heavyweight."
  34. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    60
    The movie isn't as world-shattering as those bouts: It's a regretful-old-warrior weeper.
  35. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    50
    The Wrestler doesn't add up. It's constructed with great care around a lead performance that is everything it could possibly be, but the picture itself is off-putting and disappointing.
  36. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    50
    Rourke does strong, sensitive work here, which will cheer his old-time admirers and win him new fans...But the movie itself is pretty bad.
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 170 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 68
  3. Negative: 7 out of 68
  1. SpunkyMonkey
    6
    A well acted, well shot and refreshingly different film which is unfortunately too predictable, too slowly paced and too deviod of really exciting or intense moments to be worth more than one watch. By all means give it a go, but don't buy into the hype that it's something spectacular. When the end credits role it doesn't feel as if anything ever really got going, and the conflicts, predicaments and dilemas in the movie are pretty weak. Fans of wrestling may get a bit more out of it, but to people like me it's just an OK movie.… Full Review »
  2. Ven-Wede
    7
    Even with all of its gritty and melancholy realism, The Wrestler feels a little too safe. The story is a standard character-driven narrative which rarely moves away from the staples of what makes drama. It includes such well-worn themes as issues with family, work, and poverty; coping with the present and letting go of the past, and coming to terms with mortality and the fragility of life; nothing that hasn't been done before. This may be exactly what Aronofsky wanted to achieve with his bleak vision of reality; but it's just too slow-paced to be top-quality entertainment, and too basic to be top-quality art. However, a perfect performance from Rourke ensures it isn't lost to mediocrity. Worth a watch, but don't expect layers of complexity -- the film is as superficial as it is sincere.… Full Review »
  3. Alexander_Fred
    10
    A well directed film by Daren Afronsky, Micky Rourke and Marisa Tomei are more than able to bring their respective characters and all of their flaws to life in a realistic and engaging manner.. At times capable of bringing a tear to the eye and at others capable of turning stomachs, the Wrestler nonetheless enchants throughout its entirety telling a story that all are capable of sympathizing with.… Full Review »
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