FAQ

The Wrestler was scripted by screenwriter Robert Siegel, former editor-in-chief of The Onion. Rourke has claimed to have rewritten much of his own dialogue.

The film's director Darren Aronofsky said about this issue in an interview: I think people basically roll [wrestling] off saying, "Oh, it's fake," and they forget all about it. But what was interesting to me was that whole line between real and fake. What is real? What is fake? The film is very clear that wrestling is staged, but is it fake when you're a 260-pound guy jumping 10 feet onto a concrete floor? Even if you're trying to protect yourself and your opponent, damage is happening to you. Then, you meet these guys who've been wrestling 10 or 20 years ago, and they're just riddled with injury. They are true athletes. It's just they're almost more like stunt men, so there's that line of real and fake. The other line of real and fake is "The Ram" doesn't know what's real and what's fake. When he's in the ring, for him that's real life, and so that kind of real and fake comments on the whole wrestling thing. Source.

It is not explicitly shown whether he lives or dies, and it is probably done so deliberately. Earlier in the film when Randy has his first heart attack, there is an abrupt cut to black followed by silence. Because of this, one could also argue that Randy almost certainly succumbs later to a second fatal heart attack. Rourke has stated he personally believes the ending is up to the audience's interpretation, but he personally believed that Randy dies.

It's part of the original score by longtime Aronofsky collaborator Clint Mansell, performed by Slash. The music has been released on iTunes as a single.

The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for the Wrestler was released by Koch records on CD on February 24th, 2009, and should be available for purchase at all major retailers. It is also available on iTunes. The track listing is as follows: (1) Bang Your Head (Metal Health) - Quiet Riot; (2) Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone) - Cinderella; (3) Stuntin' Like My Daddy - Birdman & Lil Wayne: (4) Don't Walk Away - Firehouse; (5) Soundtrack To A War: Welcome To Hell - Rhinobucket; (6) Blowin' Up - Solomon; (7) Mirror - Dead Family; (8) Round And Round - Ratt; (9) Dangerous - Slaughter; (10) I'm Insane - Ratt; (11) Balls To The Wall - Accept; and (12) Animal Magnetism - Scorpions. Bruce Springsteen's single The Wrestler, which is not on the album, can be purchased through iTunes and is a bonus track on his new album Working on a Dream. The original score can be purchased from iTunes where it is an exclusive.

There are hints during the film that she may be, but it's never explicitly stated. Randy suspects as much and mentions it to Cassidy. In one of the scenes, her roommate seems to be comforting her after Randy misses dinner, and intimate pictures of the two can be seen on the walls of their house. The viewer's uncertainty regarding his daughter's relationship, therefore, parallels Randy's own lack of sureness.

The movie makes occasional use of professional wrestling parlance which, unless one is familiar with the backstage machinations of the industry, seem nonsensical. Here are some of the terms and phrases used in the film, and what they mean:

Heel: A villain wrestling character who is supposed to be booed by the audience. The "bad guy" in a match.

Face: Short for "babyface," the "good guy" in a match. Supposed to be cheered by the audience. Randy's character is (and apparently was, in his heyday) a face.

Heat: Refers to a negative crowd response. A heel for example usually does something such as cheating in a match to get "heat" (i.e. to get booed).

"Take it home": Finish the match.

"For the strap": The winner of the match will either win or retain the championship belt. In the film, Randy appears to be the reigning champion, and is thus defending his title.

Like many pro wrestlers who prefer to be known by their ring names, Randy has issues when he is called "Robin" in the pharmacy but most clearly when he receives a name tag with the name Robin instead of Randy. It is obvious that his real name is Robin Ramzinski and that the name "Randy (the Ram) Robinson" is the name of his wrestling character.

As a rather masculine professional wrestler, it is possible that he considered the gender-neutral "Robin" to be ill-suited to his personality. It also stands to reason that Robin/Randy associates the name "Randy Robinson" with his glory days of wrestling, which is the life he wants to live and the person with whom he most identifies. The name "Robin Ramzinski" reminds him of his "real" life outside the ring where he is just a failure with a lousy job and a mangled body and poor health, having lost all contact with those he loves. That may be why he prefers to be called Randy, especially in those situations that conform to his "Robin" persona.