Criticize him all you want for a limited acting range, but he delivered his best performance yet in 2010's The Fighter. It is a performance that was overshadowed by two other parts in the movie, both of whom won Academy Awards for their supporting roles, but he gets a chance to show off his acting chops and doesn't disappoint. I'm more or less making Wahlberg-hater fans' point because he does play a similar character to one he's played several times before. But you know what? He's good at it, and in telling the true story of boxer Micky Ward, Wahlberg does a great job bringing his character to life.
A boxer in his late 20s, Micky Ward (Wahlberg) out of Lowell, Massachusetts is at a bit of a crossroads in his life. He's a good boxer who has potential but has never really amounted to anything. Part of the problem is his family, dragging him down at all times even though they claim to be in his corner, always ready to support him. First, there's Dicky (Christian Bale), his half-brother and trainer who struggles with his addiction to crack. A great boxing mind and strategist, but completely unreliable. Second, there's his mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), a completely self-serving woman who says she has his best interest at heart, but that's clearly not the case. Struggling through all these family problems, Micky meets Charlene (Amy Adams), a bartender he hits it off with. But when push comes to shove, Micky is going to have to make a decision, go for what's best for him or what's best for his family?
As a warning going in, I feel like I should warn people about this movie. As a sports fan, I got the impression this was a heavy boxing story which it isn't. Yes, there is boxing, but it's more a part of the story than actually being the story. Just so there's no confusion, I'm not comparing it to Raging Bull, but in terms of storytelling it is similar. The boxing is a way to get somewhere, but it isn't a "boxing movie." The Fighter is more about family and the struggles you go through at times putting up with them, loving them, fighting and arguing with them. They may be bad for you and your life, but they're your family. How do you get away or turn away from your family? As Micky finds out, it is no easy task.
Just a few months ago at the Academy Awards, Bale and Leo made news as they won Oscars for the best supporting actor and actress awards, respectively. Of the two, I think Bale was more deserving for the win, but they both deserved it. If anything, I would have given Supporting Actress to Amy Adams, but that's just me. Ever since his ridiculous outburst on the set of Terminator Salvation, I've been an iffy fan of Bale's, but all personal feelings aside, the guy can act. This is one of those performances where you watch it and just know this is what acting is all about. His Dicky Eklund is a mess of a person, all of it to blame on himself, who had all sorts of potential but instead derailed his life. Leo as Alice is the same way, a hypocrite on so many levels who can't even see what she's doing to her son, Micky. These are the flashier performances, not quite Oscar bait, but close.
The heart of the movie though is Wahlberg as Micky Ward, a boxer teetering on the brink of a has-been and a never will be. There's that underdog element to the character and the man, the fighter from the lower middle class family rising above his surroundings to amount to something...hopefully. He wants to make it on the big time, wants to be the best fighter he can be. At the same time, he feels an obligation to his family even as they drag him down, holding him back from achieving all the things he wants. His relationship with Adams' Charlene -- similarly troubled, similarly wanting something more out of life -- is key as these two individuals find some sort of happiness together through each other. They have a great chemistry together even though going in I thought Adams was an odd, somewhat interesting choice to play the character. My bad, I was wrong. Other supporting parts include Jack McGee as Micky's father, George, and Mickey O'Keefe playing himself as Micky's trainer/mentor as he rises through the boxing ranks.
Watching clips of the movie, reading reviews, watching the trailer repeatedly, I wasn't sure what to expect going into the movie. It's by no means a flashy sports movie, and I debate even calling it a sports movie. It is about the people, their relationships and interactions, the day to day struggles to get along and survive with yourself and your family. This is an acting movie from Wahlberg to Bale to Leo to Adams. Director David O. Russell knows what he's doing and presents a real, moving story that feels like a throwback to movies of old, something right out of the 1970s (and I mean that in a good way).
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