Mickey Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson is a down-on-his-luck professional wrestler who has little in his life beyond his interaction with his fellow competitors and his occasional visits with Cassidy, a stripper at a local club.

A serious injury in the ring, however, leaves Randy shaken ... and determined to change the lonely course his life has taken.

This is the first Academy Award Oscar nomination for Mickey Rourke.

"The Wrestler" is sincere, violent, sentimental, predictable and extremely effective. Mickey Rourke's a remarkable physical specimen every which way, and he takes some amazing punishment, amazingly choreographed, in the wrestling scenes.

He takes punishment in the more hackneyed off-ring scenes with his daughter, too, but Wood and Rourke treat the material like gold, and damned if their scenes don't work.

One of the best bits has Randy working the deli counter at his supermarket, and the way he banters with the customers ("Whatcha havin', good-lookin'?" Randy asks one shlubby middle-age fellow), you sense a born performer in action.

Mickey Rourke

MICKEY ROURKE (Randy), one of the few true method actors of today and a graduate of New York’s Actor’s Studio, is this generations’ classic working actor. His career has been defined by his performances in 9 1/2 WEEKS, BARFLY, ANGEL HEART, YEAR OF THE DRAGON, POPE OF GREENWICH VILLAGE, DINER, FRANCESCO and Francis Ford Coppola’s cult classic RUMBLE FISH.

More recently, Rourke received acclaim for his roles in Robert Rodriguez’ ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO and SIN CITY.

Rourke’s forthcoming releases include KILLSHOT written by Elmore Leonard and THE INFORMERS directed by Gregor Jordan.

2009 Best Lead Actor Oscar Nominations
81st Academy Awards 2009 Best Lead Actor Oscar Nominations

Richard Jenkins as Walter in "The Visitor"

Richard Jenkins plays Walter, a lonely widower whose life undergoes a transformation when he finds two illegal immigrants occupying his New York apartment.

This is Richard Jenkins' first Academy Award Oscar nomination.

Frank Langella as Richard Nixon in "Frost/Nixon"

In the role of Richard Nixon, Frank Langella portrays the former president at the time of his failed attempt to resuscitate his career through a series of interviews with talk show host David Frost.

This is Frank Langella's first Academy Award Oscar nomination.

Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in "Milk"

Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk, a transplanted New Yorker whose decision to campaign for a place on San Francisco's Board of Supervisors becomes a landmark event within the gay rights movement.

This is Sean Penn's 5th Oscar nomination in the Best Leading Actor Academy Award category. Sean Penn was previously nominated for Dead Man Walking (1995), Sweet and Lowdown (1999) and I Am Sam (2001), and won the Oscar in 2003 for his performance in Mystic River.

Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

As Benjamin Button, Brad Pitt portrays a man who is born old and then grows gradually younger as his life unfolds.

This is the second Academy Award nomination and the first Oscar nomination in the Best Lead Actor category for Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt was nominated in the Academy Award Supporting Actor category for his performance in "12 Monkeys" (1995).