The Wrestler is a dramatic film about a fictional 1980s pro wrestler, Randy "The Ram" Robinson, played by Mickey Rourke, who is trying to return to fame in the wrestling ring. The FOX Searchlight film is directed by Darren Aronofsky and penned by Robert D. Siegel.

Both Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei were nominated for Oscars for their work in in the film.

• Mickey Rourke as Best Actor
• Marisa Tomei as Best Supporting Actress

Robinson struggles to make a comeback, despite the health problems that forced his retirement. He is drawn back into the ring to fight an old wrestling rival, even though the match could cost him his life. Besides the wresting realm, he tries to mend the strained relationship with his daughter as he becomes involved with a local stripper.

• Mickey Rourke as Randy "The Ram" Robinson
• Ernest Miller as "The Ayatollah"
• Marisa Tomei as Cassidy/Pam
• Evan Rachel Wood as Stephanie Robinson
• Todd Barry as Wayne
• Mark Margolis as Lenny
• Wass Stevens as Nick Volpe
• Judah Friedlander as Scott Brumberg

• The Blue Meanie
• Necro Butcher
• Nick Berk
• DJ Hyde
• Whacks
• Perry Saturn
• Kid USA
• Ron Killings
• Romeo Roselli
• John Zandig

• "The Wrestler works for the same reason Rachel Getting Married works. The way they're acted, shot, edited and scored, both films deploy a loose, rough-hewn documentary style to great dramatic advantage. The corn isn't hyped. The performances click without going for the jugular."—Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune: The Wrestler Stars Mickey Rourke (December 25, 2008)

• "To call The Wrestler a formula movie would be to misunderstand it. This is an homage to formula, a knowing treatment that's loving rather than cynical. This is ritual, and yet one that centers around someone we've never quite seen before: a fake warrior - a down-on-his-luck wrestler - who has something truly heroic inside of him."—San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle: Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler (December 25, 2008)