The One Legged Dog

I have long been a fan of Mickey Rourke through his films Diner, The Pope of Greenwich Village, 9½ Weeks, Angel Heart and The Wrestler. I am taken by The Wrestler’s tale of redemption which is why I would not have been disappointed if Mickey Rourke had won the Best Actor Oscar last night.

Sean Penn deservedly won for Milk. There is something breathtakingly remarkable about Penn’s ability to transform himself into each character he assumes. He inhabits each and becomes something new. Every time I see Penn in a movie role I wonder if I can’t learn from him in my ordinary humdrum, rundown life: like whether I can believe in a new reconstituted me long enough to make it real.

Mickey Rourke reminds me that no matter how low you get, that like the phoenix you can rise once more. Like Rourke, I felt like Bruce Springsteen’s one-legged dog - down, almost, but not completely out. Of course, there has been much discussion about Springsteen’s One Legged Dog and its meaning. Most don’t seem to understand that it is a metaphor for downtrodden like Rourke and me. And like Rourke, it is my time to dig down deeply and summon up all the drive and determination to reconstitute a life of quality.