The Fighter

[4.0
stars] [IMDb Link]

[Amazon Link]
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The Fighter got seven Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) and won the two Best Supporting Actor awards. And, yes, it's very good.

It's the based-on-actual-events story of boxer Micky Ward, and how he duked his way into success out of the mean streets of scenic Lowell, MA. Along the way he has to escape the well-meaning but suffocating clutches of his manager/mother and his trainer/half-brother, Dicky.

If you think you've seen this movie about eleventy times before, you're probably right. Plot originality is not its strong point; the actors make it seem fresh, though.

Christian Bale is pretty amazing as Dicky, a crack-addicted screwup. I kept pointing out (to Mrs. Salad's chagrin): this is the same guy who played Batman. You can't think of two characters more opposite.

Also good, just not quite as amazing as Bale, is Amy Adams, playing Micky's (eventual) girlfriend Charlene, who has a pivotal role in getting Micky to turn his life around. Just like I kept recalling Bale as Batman, Ms. Adams' foulmouthed little-spitfire role here made me remember she was also Giselle in Enchanted.


Last Modified 2024-01-28 2:43 PM EDT