If Mickey Rourke wins Best Actor tonight, and if his acceptance speech is even half as funny (or a sixteenth as profane) as his Independent Spirit Awards speech yesterday, then we'll have an Oscar moment to cherish right up there with the Jack Palance one-armed pushup. I'm rooting for Sean Penn myself, but I'd be happy to see Rourke win just to see what he will say.
The Wrestler also won Spirit awards (the indie-film Oscars) for best picture and best cinematography, and Oscar nominees Melissa Leo and Penelope Cruz won Spirits for best actress and best supporting actress — which may augur well for them tonight. (There's buzz about a Leo upset.)
This article appears in Feb 18-24, 2009.