Summary from IMDB:This is a drama about an aging professional wrestler, decades past his prime, who now barely gets by working small wrestling shows in VFW halls and as a part-time grocery store employee. As he faces health problems that may end his wrestling career for good he attempts to come to terms with his life outside the ring: by working full time at the grocery store, trying to reconcile with the daughter he abandoned in childhood and forming a closer bond with a stripper he has romantic feelings for. He struggles with his new life and an offer of a high-profile rematch with his 1980s arch-nemesis, The Ayatollah, which may be his ticket back to stardom.
Questions:
1. What do the opening credits reveal about Randy “The Ram” Robinson? Who is he?
2. Significance of the first autograph signing in the elementary school gym.
3. Where does Randy live, what does he drive, and what shape are they in?
4. What’s going through Randy’s mind when he looks at the collection of Ram pictures and memorabilia pasted to the wall of his van?
5. Why does Randy drive around with the action figure version of himself on the dashboard?
6. How is Randy regarded at ACME Grocery and backstage at the house shows?
7. How do Randy’s glasses affect his appearance?
8. To what lengths is Randy willing to go to climb back to the top of the mountain?
9. How does the heart attack impact Randy at this stage of his life?
10. From the director’s POV why would you choose to frame a majority of the shots after Randy’s release from the hospital in wide and close-up shots?
11. The doctor and pharmacist call Randy by his given name—Robin Ramzinski. Why does this make him so uncomfortable?
12. What purpose did Randy’s video game match with Adam play in the telling of this story?
13. As director of the film, why did Darren Aronofsky make the decision for Randy’s character wear a hearing aid?
14. Why did Darren Aronofsky choose to give Ram a daughter to raise and rather than a son?
15. Ram seems to be stuck in the ‘80s. What is that era most remembered for?
16. Seasonally, what time of year is it? How does that affect the mood of the film?
17. What does Ram’s time with his daughter, Stephanie, and Pam expose about Randy?
18. Describe the boardwalk setting. Explain how this is a metaphor for Ram’s life.
19. Explain how the moniker “The Ram” acts as a metaphor for Randy Robinson?
20. Before his entrance to the epic rematch with the Ayatollah, Explain why Randy prays quietly to himself before exiting the dressing room for his epic rematch.
21. What is the connection between the American flag and Randy the Ram?
22. Explain the irony of Ram’s match with the Ayatollah.
23. How have age and time impacted Randy’s career, more importantly, his personal life?
24. What has Ram sacrificed in order to reach the pinnacle of professional wrestling?
