Fox Searchlight has given Variety exclusive dibs on the trailer to “The Wrestler,” the Darren Aronofsky-directed film that everyone is touting as the comeback for actor Mickey Rourke. And with good reason, he’s excellent in it and very-deserving of the Oscar. We love this trailer too, it starts out rockin’ with Quiet Riot’s “Bang Your Head (Metal Health Will Drive You Mad),” but quickly moves to the personal, somber tone of the film which is about shame, loss, struggling with ones identity, loneliness and finding your place in the world. It truly brings up back to the emotional moments of the movie that are really raw, honest and sometimes really painful.
“Witness the resurrection of Mickey Rourke” says one of the quotes. Indeed. The trailer also features the real version of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Wrestler” song which definitely underscores its moodiness and introspective tone. That great line about Kurt Cobain and the ’90s “sucking” is in there too which definitely reflects the great, subtle humor in the film (which there’s a lot more of than you’d expect). “The Wrestler” co-stars Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei and hits theaters December 19. Here’s our quick review of the film when we saw it at TIFF.
PS, the image is a poster we made courtesy of an image of a broken-down Mickey Rourke getting in a tanning booth that we found over here.
