The Wrestler

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Awards? Yes Lots of awards, Academy Awards & Golden Globe nominations plus BAFTA Awards, Independent Spirit Awards
Starring: Mickey Rourke; Marisa Tomei
IMDB Link:  The Wrestler

sez says: you have to brace for some violence in order to watch this, but it is no lie, there is mighty powerful acting to be seen here--both Rourke and Tomei are unforgettable. Front and center is a view of the everyday dedication and the personal destruction that is required to keep going as a wrestler is headed downhill. The stories honesty is refreshing, showing the unlikelihood that someone will change and make all his past sins disappear.  It is well demonstrated that we can care for these characters even if they are nothing more than who they are: everyday people who make the same mistakes over and over again.

mjc says:  Marisa Tomei is always a pleasure to watch as she turns herself into yet another character; but, Rourke is over the top in bathing this movie in the persona of a wreck of a man.  I confess I left the movie originally unimpressed by the totality of the experience, but there is no denying the acting!