There are two kinds of people in the world: hardcore fans of professional wrestling and those of us who think the “sport” is a big joke.  But Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler may change all that. It may not influence the WWE’s television ratings or increase pay-per-view sales for the next Wrestlemania, but it could create more sympathy for the staged spectacle. And this is something that hasn’t really been achieved with past attempts to showcase the sad realities found within one of the fakest forms of showbiz there is.

I’ve listened to the audiobook of Hulk Hogan’s memoir, mostly for laughs. And I’ve seen the great documentary Beyond the Mat and learned enough of the truth to have gained some appreciation for wrestlers like Mick “Mankind” Foley, though it mostly made me feel bad for that guy’s wife and children. Meanwhile, the should-have-been most heartbreaking story from that film, Jake “The Snake” Roberts’ confession that he’s the product of incest, is so unbelievable that it’s hard to take completely serious. I hate to say it, but I couldn’t help laughing then, too.

But now we finally see the trailer for The Wrestler and with it Mickey Rourke’s acclaimed performance. It seems the film brings a very realist perspective to pro wrestling, despite the fact that it’s not a documentary nor even based on a true story. While I was immediately attracted to this realism, I wondered if those other people, the hardcore fans, would be able to appreciate a movie that appears as far away in tone from their beloved entertainment as can get. Fortunately, I have some good friends who are those kind of people. And they tell me that they’re really, really excited to see the film, too.