For the grown-up grappler

The Wrestler
Dec
31
2008
(Limited)

As far as expiration dates go, few careers can compete with "porn star." But professional wrestlers—similarly placed in a world just outside the everyday reality—live briefly in the spotlight and retreat to a quick spiral of pain (figurative and real) in a search for what's next. The Wrestler tells the story of an '80s spandex warrior (Mickey Rourke) dealing with such a predicament, caught between moving on and wanting to enter the ring one more time. The struggle will be familiar to anyone who has seen his boyhood heroes (Hulk Hogan, Bret "The Hitman" Hart) live to tell similar tales in their middle age. - Hank Brockett

 

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Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, $18 at Amazon.com.

 

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