Mick Foley praised "The Wrestler" in a lengthy review he wrote for Slate.com. "I found great authenticity in so many aspects of Randy's battered psyche. His constant need for acceptance—from his estranged daughter; from his possible love interest, a stripper played by Marisa Tomei (who is wonderful, if a bit shocking for any guy who ever had a crush on her in My Cousin Vinny); from a random collection of customers at the deli counter where he works; from his dwindling number of nostalgic wrestling fans—is a theme that many a wrestler will grudgingly admit to connecting with...

"I also loved the wrestling scenes. (Mickey) Rourke deserves great credit not only for whipping himself into incredible shape—packing 30 pounds of muscle on for the role—but for doing his wrestling homework. Learning the trade at age 52 could not have been easy, but Rourke's in-ring work is good enough to pass this wrestler's sniff test. No one will ever confuse Randy's clothesline with Stan Hansen's, and the scenes surely benefited from careful editing, but much of what Randy did—his flying "Ram Jam"; a Japanese enzugiri kick—actually looks pretty good." To read Foley's full review, visit Slate.com. [Thanks to Dot Net reader NJDFan82]

Powell's POV: Foley also admits that he feels guilty about liking a film that doesn't show the industry in a positive light. It's a most flattering review of the film. By the way, I'm very curious to find out what Vince McMahon thinks of the movie, which he is scheduled to watch in a private screening with director Darren Aronofsky on Friday.

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