Reviews by Matt

(I hate myself for writing that headline, but after writing six reviews in two days, cheesy is all I have left)

I can remember a few years ago, in 2005, when Mark Wahlberg was attached to play the lead in “The Fighter” he said that if he were going to make this movie, he needed to do it soon. He was not getting any younger and the role was going to be very physical. Well now he has made it and recently got an Oscar nomination for his troubles.

Micky Ward (Wahlberg) is a boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts who is in the twilight of his career. He is known more as a stepping stone for other boxers than a genuine championship contender. His mother, Alice (Melissa Leto,) is his manager and his half-bother, Dicky (Christan Bale,) is his trainer. Dicky is a local legend because he knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard, but has become addicted to crack. Micky deals with his mother ignoring Dicky’s addiction and not being able to rely on Dicky.

This is movie has probably the strongest cast of any movie this year. Wahlberg, Bale, Let, and Amy Adams, who plays Micky’s girlfriend, deliver some great performances. The boxing scenes are shot in such a way that it looks and feels like watching a fight on HBO.

I have a strong feeling that Bale will win the Oscar for his role in this movie. Dicky is a drug addict. HBO has come to document his addiction, but he claims they are there to watch is return to the ring. He is a man who is stuck in the past. He had one shining moment years ago and he has thrived on that fame for years. This is another role that Bale threw himself into--he lost weight to get the drug addict look. Bale plays Dicky as the delusional, burned out, former boxer incredibly well. He steals the spotlight from Wahlberg in many scenes, but it works because Dicky is the one who gets the most attention. He asks for it by being a drug addict, loud and funny.

I could go on about Adams, Leto and Wahlberg and their strong performances, but that would make for a really long review. It is best to look at their relationship to one another. Charlene (Adams) and Alice want what they think is best for Micky and his loyalties are torn. On one hand he has his mother who he loves and has been his manager for his entire career. On the other hand there is the woman he loves who has shown him that his mother does not always know what is best. This is a greater conflict in this then Micky faces in the ring. Those moments, when the tension comes to a head, is where the power in their performances comes from.

After the movie I texted my mom and told her that despite the cursing, I think she would like it. It is a great movie and I can honestly say that it is easy to recommend to everyone. Some movies I cannot recommend to everyone (see my review of Black Swan), but this has such a wide appeal that you cannot go wrong.

8 out of 10
Rated R for language throughout, drug content, some violence and sexuality
115 min