The Fighter (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Rocky did it in 1976. Million Dollar Baby did it in 2004. Can 'The Fighter' (directed by the controversial David O. Russell) be the 3rd boxing film to win Best Picture at the Oscars? My answer: I don't think so. But I'll tell ya one thing, it's a very good movie - straightforward in its storytelling - & contains one of the best ensemble casts of the year. Like most sports films, the tale of Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is based on a true story. The movie opens in 1993 on the trashy streets of Lowell, Massachusetts. An HBO documentary crew is following around Mickey's older half-brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), as he goes about his daily cocaine routine. Although the HBO crew are open about this special (a look at how crack ruins lives), Dicky thinks they're really chronicling his comeback; as he'd knocked-out Sugar Ray Leonard 15 yrs. prior. Success eluded him after that knock-out. So now he's ready for a return to form.
But all Dicky does is hang out in the town's coke house & miss training sessions with Mickey ... that's how his life has turned out. For Mickey, the combination of Dicky's inconsistent training + the misguided management of his domineering mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), results in him losing fight after fight. Sometime after, when Dicky's tendency towards crime lands him in prison, Mickey breaks his ties with his cherished mother & brother. His new support team consists of his father, George (Jack McGee, of Rescue Me), his barmaid girlfriend, Charlene (Amy Adams), & a new trainer (Mickey O'Keefe). Slowly but surely, Mickey starts winning matches, gaining credibility on the boxing circuit, & feeling confident (something he'd always lacked when compared to Dicky). But friction in his personal life (between Charlene, his 7 harpie-like sisters, his mother, & his brother) threatens to ruin his chance for a major welterweight title.
'The Fighter' is a successful movie because it does 2 things quite deftly. 1) It has the ability to rouse us - with comedy, and certainly in the last fight scene - by showing us Mickey's heartwarming, underdog ascent. And 2) it EXTENSIVELY shows us the dark paths that Mickey & his family underwent which made that 'underdog ascent' feel as potent as it does. This is a movie about a boxer. There are a handful of well-staged HBO fight sequences. But on the whole, this is more of a multi-character study and a powerhouse acting showcase. David O. Russell's direction has a distinct personality. Furthermore, he got a great editor to make the 115 min. running time fly by, & he got his actors to act the Hell out of every single scene.
As mentioned, 'The Fighter' won me over because it balanced stellar boxing scenes with combustible dysfunctional family drama, & bursting-at-the-seams love for Mickey. The film's main conflict is a good one; as Mickey is torn between loyalty to his family, Charlene, & his desire to win a boxing title. Because he knows (with Charlene's help) that he'd have a better shot at winning with a more professional manager than Alice, & a more reliable trainer than Dicky ... he feels like he's betraying them. We see that dread in him as the film progresses. I really liked Wahlberg's sweet, internalized portrayal, a lot. It's just a shame that Mark isn't getting the same critical acknowledgement as his fellow actors, Bale, Leo, & Adams - all of whom inhabit louder characters.
Wahlberg is the anchor. He's great, but allows Christian Bale to steal the show. As he's done in the past, Bale transforms himself for the role; having spent lots of time with the real Dicky, & losing some 25 lbs. to look like a cocaine addict. Whether it was Bale's cracked-out mannerisms/ticks, his pathetic faux-confidence, his raw physicality (jumping out of windows), or his redemptive turn near the end - I was all aboard the Dicky Eklund train. Melissa Leo is an absolute hoot as Alice: the strutting, big haired, chain smokin', foul mouthed, instigatory, yet overwhelmingly loving mother of her 2 boys ... and 7 girls. Speaking of those girls, they are the epitome of "white trash bitch-ism" (just made it up); and the movie is better for having them {haha}.
Also impressing me was Amy Adams. Adams has made a career out of playing pretty, meek, innocent characters. Here, she's still pretty, she shows a soft side ... but there's an undeniable toughness - a grittiness (like the whole movie); a character who may look like she wants to stay by the sidelines, but would have NO problem starting some shit and going toe-to-toe with any skank who crosses her. Her love & compassion for Mickey is apparent. And her ability to streamline that love into Mickey's career is just very nice to see. 'The Fighter' reeled me in & grew on me as it went. I enjoyed its authentic sense of time & place. I like that, no matter how degenerate Alice's family are, they ALL love Mickey & Dicky so very much. The movie is endearing. It's forceful. Every scene offers something interesting. And the rousing climactic fight scene made me stream tears down my face -- shocker, I know.
But all Dicky does is hang out in the town's coke house & miss training sessions with Mickey ... that's how his life has turned out. For Mickey, the combination of Dicky's inconsistent training + the misguided management of his domineering mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), results in him losing fight after fight. Sometime after, when Dicky's tendency towards crime lands him in prison, Mickey breaks his ties with his cherished mother & brother. His new support team consists of his father, George (Jack McGee, of Rescue Me), his barmaid girlfriend, Charlene (Amy Adams), & a new trainer (Mickey O'Keefe). Slowly but surely, Mickey starts winning matches, gaining credibility on the boxing circuit, & feeling confident (something he'd always lacked when compared to Dicky). But friction in his personal life (between Charlene, his 7 harpie-like sisters, his mother, & his brother) threatens to ruin his chance for a major welterweight title.
'The Fighter' is a successful movie because it does 2 things quite deftly. 1) It has the ability to rouse us - with comedy, and certainly in the last fight scene - by showing us Mickey's heartwarming, underdog ascent. And 2) it EXTENSIVELY shows us the dark paths that Mickey & his family underwent which made that 'underdog ascent' feel as potent as it does. This is a movie about a boxer. There are a handful of well-staged HBO fight sequences. But on the whole, this is more of a multi-character study and a powerhouse acting showcase. David O. Russell's direction has a distinct personality. Furthermore, he got a great editor to make the 115 min. running time fly by, & he got his actors to act the Hell out of every single scene.
As mentioned, 'The Fighter' won me over because it balanced stellar boxing scenes with combustible dysfunctional family drama, & bursting-at-the-seams love for Mickey. The film's main conflict is a good one; as Mickey is torn between loyalty to his family, Charlene, & his desire to win a boxing title. Because he knows (with Charlene's help) that he'd have a better shot at winning with a more professional manager than Alice, & a more reliable trainer than Dicky ... he feels like he's betraying them. We see that dread in him as the film progresses. I really liked Wahlberg's sweet, internalized portrayal, a lot. It's just a shame that Mark isn't getting the same critical acknowledgement as his fellow actors, Bale, Leo, & Adams - all of whom inhabit louder characters.
Wahlberg is the anchor. He's great, but allows Christian Bale to steal the show. As he's done in the past, Bale transforms himself for the role; having spent lots of time with the real Dicky, & losing some 25 lbs. to look like a cocaine addict. Whether it was Bale's cracked-out mannerisms/ticks, his pathetic faux-confidence, his raw physicality (jumping out of windows), or his redemptive turn near the end - I was all aboard the Dicky Eklund train. Melissa Leo is an absolute hoot as Alice: the strutting, big haired, chain smokin', foul mouthed, instigatory, yet overwhelmingly loving mother of her 2 boys ... and 7 girls. Speaking of those girls, they are the epitome of "white trash bitch-ism" (just made it up); and the movie is better for having them {haha}.
Also impressing me was Amy Adams. Adams has made a career out of playing pretty, meek, innocent characters. Here, she's still pretty, she shows a soft side ... but there's an undeniable toughness - a grittiness (like the whole movie); a character who may look like she wants to stay by the sidelines, but would have NO problem starting some shit and going toe-to-toe with any skank who crosses her. Her love & compassion for Mickey is apparent. And her ability to streamline that love into Mickey's career is just very nice to see. 'The Fighter' reeled me in & grew on me as it went. I enjoyed its authentic sense of time & place. I like that, no matter how degenerate Alice's family are, they ALL love Mickey & Dicky so very much. The movie is endearing. It's forceful. Every scene offers something interesting. And the rousing climactic fight scene made me stream tears down my face -- shocker, I know.