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It really was a great performance by Mickey Rourke.

But yeah, finding it hard to come up with anything noble about the character.

Like we see repeatedly that he likes kids - so that could be seen as redeeming - but it seems to mainly about how they do stuff for him. Same with trying to reconnect with his daughter. He sorta tries to apologize but he doesn't really connect with her feelings and keeps coming back to the idea that she could do stuff for him.

But I guess that's the message. After all, it's a Darren Aranofsky film - not Ron Howard (whom I like a lot but he really loves his human-spirit-rising-above-all-things themes).
 
He was willing to get messed up pretty bad for the team, so the show could go on. Isn't that kinda noble?
It's been a while since I saw it. The daughter part was mostly irrelevant for me.
It's more the idea of sacrifice and then realizing its a sham, you're a fool and nobody gives a fok.

I guess the ending was him going on to fight in big time match etc..(inspite of some other obligation if I remember)
It's kind of like even though it's foked up this who he's become, and where he finds meaning. A fair commentary/ view on lifes reality in a foked up culture imo
 
I guess the teamwork thing was there - but I always saw his motivation being mainly the adulation of the crowd. i.e. - love. He did what he had to do to keep receiving his pathetic version of love.

What happened at the end with the big match was, okay, he appeared to have an opportunity to connect with (the incredibly hot) Marisa Tomei - but she kinda came and made her appeal at the most awkward possible time. So who knows what might have happened with that after the movie?

But the big thing was he had had a heart attack not-so-long before, and he was told rasslin' was a terrible idea for his health going forward - and he was struggling badly during that match - physically - reaching for his chest and unable to perform at times. But at the end he gathers his faculties and climbs up on the top rope and goes to deliver his closing move while the crowd chants his name.


So you could say that was his human spirit rising up. Or you could say he was so pathetically needy and emotionally lazy that we was willing to die rather than put the work required to adapt and consider the feelings/needs of other people and form a normal human relationship.
 
None of which makes it a bad movie, by the way. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm saying that. I find it a very good movie about a crappy guy who represents a lot of real world stuff. It is taken to the extreme obviously but still, it is relevant.

After my recent rewatch, I raised my rating from 7 to 8.
 
Ah yes that does sound familiar. I too thought it was a very good movie.
Interesting discussion. That whole bit with his health is a bit much now that I remember.

I guess to me the character is more sympathetic. He struggling in a foked up environment with a semblance of honor. Even though undoubtedly his drive, belief in some baloney about greatness perhaps, along with a questionable intellect is partially responsible for his problems s
 
Currently doing a rewatch of Shakespeare in Love.

Here's what it was up against - and beat - for Best Picture of 1998

Saving Private Ryan
The Thin Red Line
Life is Beautiful
Elizabeth


SIL is a nice little movie. Cute. I would vote for it over The Thin Red Line. Now given I could not get all the way through Thin Red Line and it is currently sitting on my imdb with a rare 1 out of 10 rating, that is not saying much..

So I would place SIL 4th.

It was a weird year at the Oscars. They gave Judy Dench a Supporting Actress Oscar for her 3 and a half seconds of screen time in SIL. You never know what is in people's heads but that sure felt like a make-up-for-past-slights.

I have no similar explanation for SIL winning Best Picture tho.
 
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