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I feel completely torn. This is a complicated feeling, on the one hand this film has deepened my love and respect for the professional wrestling industry, on the other hand it has filled me with self loathing for perhaps, demanding too much from these dedicated performers. If I take only one thing away from "The Wrestler" it is this...these men and women put their bodies through an incredible amount of punishment for the enjoyment of the audience.

The film then raises a serious question by proxy, are we, the wrestling audience, sadist? I posed this question to Al Snow once, and he answered no, but I wonder, how much pleasure do we as the audience take in seeing these men and women abuse themselves? And isn't that the definition of sadism? Taking pleasure in the pain of others?

"The Wrestler" is quite literally the most realistic film this side of a documentary. Being this close to the wrestling industry and seeing many of the things portrayed in this film makes it that much more personal. Seeing the pain, the guilt, the anguish, and the loneliness of Randy "The Ram"  reflected in so many friends gives this film an authenticity that most movies only scratch the surface of. "The Wrestler" is without a doubt the greatest wrestling movie ever made from a fictional standpoint, but it is fiction in name only.

Having recently reviewed "Gentlemen's Choice: The Chris Adams Story" and my accompanying interview of it's director Mickey Grant, "The Wrestler" is in many ways a fictional retelling of so many countless stories of real life wrestlers. I feel it is the duty of all wrestling fans to see this film. Through the movie, even the most cursory of fans will develop an empathy and understanding of the pain these people put themselves through. I'm not particularly a sappy person, that's not to say I don't cry or anything like that, but it's not a regular occurrence. I found myself melancholy and teary eyed during many parts of this film. The scenes of the hardcore match, and being a wrestling fan, knowing that this is the reality of Necro Butcher made me kind of hate myself for enjoying the matches he goes through. Then the drug deal and the pain pills hit very close to home. The empty autograph session is heartbreaking, as it's something I've witnessed first hand.

In writing this review I thought, "How do I write a review of what is reality to generations of professional wrestlers?" To simply say this is a great movie is such an understatement. The mark of a great film is to make the audience believe. There is nothing about this movie that isn't true, the names and places and events, aren't really fiction, they could be construed as the amalgamation of a thousand different performers all striving to reach the echelons of success and those who have fallen from grace seeking to recapture their former glory or at the very least hold onto the past long enough and hard enough to make a living for themselves.

This film should make every wrestling fan desire to see independent wrestling, it should make everyone want to donate to worthy charities like Wrestler's Rescue dot org and to support things like the Cauliflower Alley Club. It's also more than a wrestling movie, it's a story of fathers and daughters, of broken families and broken hearts. It's a powerful story of an attempted redemption.

The character of Randy is someone a lot of men these days can empathize with. "The Wrestler" also lets us know that we all must adhere to the old adage of age appropriateness. When the character of Pam mirrors Randy's in the realization that their chosen path in life isn't something they can do forever. Many of us feel that way.

"The Wrestler" is more than just an amazing movie with a superbly acted cast, it is more than just a story. It is the daily reality of heroes, villains, and anti-heroes of the stage we know as a wrestling ring, and also the reality of the real life, living, breathing human beings who portray those roles. Which doesn't make them any less the gladiators they truly are. These men and women of the wrestling world are the best athletes, actors, performers, and showmen in the entire world. At the same time, they are also flesh and blood, capable of fault and they feel the same emotions as all other humans do.

This film makes the audience realize that. It's heartbreaking in it's truth. It's painful in it's honesty. It's joyous in it's triumph. And ultimately, it's beautiful in it's reality. The reality that all men strive to be the best, to be recognized for their accomplishments, to realize their dreams. "The Wrestler" is the story of dreams, achieving them, losing them, and holding onto them oft times to our own detriment.

Through the film I am reminded of a great quote, "We can either choose to be conquered by our fears, or lead by our passions" This movie is about passion. The wrestling industry is about passion. I recognize that passion and I applaud all you brave men and women who this film honestly pays homage to. People often ask "Is wrestling real?" after watching this film, you can tell them, "it's the realest damn thing you've ever seen".