Rocky, Raging Bull, Cinderella Man, Million Dollar Baby: I’m not so crazy about boxing, but I love boxing movies, David O. Russell‘s The Fighter is one of the best, because, like the other great ones, it’s less about the pugilism than it is about the people. The fighter of the title is the promising but aging perpetual underdog Irish Micky Ward, but the film is not only about him: it’s about his lost, crack-addicted brother Dickie; Micky’s flinty girlfriend Charlane; his tough, exploitative mother; his tribal, “flying Irish” sisters; and the whole dismal, declining, prideful town of Lowell, Massachusetts. The film is full of great performances from Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams, and most generously, from a restrained Mark Walhberg, who appropriately underplays the stoic, internalized Micky, and allows the peacocks around him to strut, but without ever yielding his centrality. Well written, directed, and performed; excellent choice of music, too: Russell uses familiar songs like Heavy’s “How You Like Me Now” and Poison’s “Here I am Again” in ways that make them seem fresh, like revelations. Between his performances and his very smart choices as a TV producer (Entourage, Boardwalk Empire), Walhberg has established himself as a Hollywood power.
During the holiday break I had the opportunity to see this movie. I was quite impressed with Christian Bale’s performance. I also liked how everyone in this movie looked real–for example, the women who played the brothers’ sisters. And the neighborhoods, cars and homes. How many times have you seen a television show or a movie that is supposedly based on real people and events have characters and settings that look and feel far too affluent for working-class people. Even Amy Adams looked like a neighborhood sweetheart and not a glamorous movie star!
You’re so right! I’d be willing to see an entire movie just about the sisters!