The Fighter (I) (2010)

A look at the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s.

Director:

David O. Russell

Writers:

Scott Silver (screenplay), Paul Tamasy (screenplay),

Stars:

Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams

Won 2 Oscars. Another 69 wins & 74 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Wahlberg	...	Micky Ward
Christian Bale	...	Dicky Eklund
Amy Adams	...	Charlene Fleming
Melissa Leo	...	Alice Ward
Mickey O'Keefe	...	Mickey O'Keefe
Jack McGee	...	George Ward
Melissa McMeekin	...	'Little Alice' Eklund
Bianca Hunter	...	Cathy 'Pork' Eklund
Erica McDermott	...	Cindy 'Tar' Eklund
Jill Quigg	...	Donna Eklund Jaynes
Dendrie Taylor	...	Gail 'Red Dog' Eklund
Kate B. O'Brien	...	Phyllis 'Beaver' Eklund (as Kate O'Brien)
Jenna Lamia	...	Sherri Ward
Frank Renzulli	...	Sal Lanano
Paul Campbell	...	Gary 'Boo Boo' Giuffrida

Storyline

The Fighter is a drama about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer on the verge of being KO'd by drugs and crime.

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Plot Keywords:

boxing | boxer | lowell massachusetts | domineering mother | bartender | 

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Taglines:

Every dream deserves a fighting chance.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

14A

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 December 2010 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Le coup de grâce

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£2,118,140 (UK) (4 February 2011)

Gross:

$93,571,803 (USA) (25 March 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Closest to the Hole Productions, Fighter, Mandeville Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although Micky Ward is an orthodox boxer, Mark Wahlberg, who is left handed, portrays him as a southpaw.

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Goofs

When Dicky Eklund is released from prison (1998) and returns to the training center holding his son, the son sings "Ice Cream and Cake" (1999) by the Buckwheat Boyz.

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Quotes

Neary Trainer: [during the press conference] In fact, we expected a much better fighter.
Mickey Ward: I'm just grateful to be here and have the opportunity. Thank you, guys, for the shot.
Reporter: Shea, who DO you respect as a fighter, and who'd you like to fight next?
Neary: I plan on moving right through Micky Ward tomorrow, moving on to other great fighters, like Gatti. Yeah, I believe Gatti and I'd make a great match.

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Crazy Credits

The real Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund are shown during the end credits.

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Connections

Featured in 2011 MTV Movie Awards (2011)

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Soundtracks

Down And Dirty
Written by Scott Nickoley and Jamie Dunlap
Performed by Michael Mulholland
Courtesy of Marc Ferrari/Mastersource

User Reviews

Fighting in and out of the ring

Wow, what a movie. It's an inspirational true story of a boxer finally getting his break. It's also a story of addiction, and how it can affect loved ones. And above all, it's about family. There are some great boxing scenes in THE FIGHTER, they feel authentic and brutal, but the true fight is really outside the ring. Which is not to say this is an overbearing melodrama, no, far from it. It handles the subject matter gracefully. It has a lot of heart and can be quite funny, and there are some humorously absurd moments, something director David O. Russell has proved to be very good at providing.

Mark Wahlberg gives a great performance playing the lead character, Micky. This is Wahlberg's most reserved and complex role to date. Micky has an unbreakable devotion to his family, which both strengthens and cripples him. He never really speaks for himself, and would rather suffer than upset those around him. Through the course of the movie the character really grows, thanks to the help of a good woman by his side. Mark Wahlberg shows a side of himself we've never seen before, this isn't the over-the-top badass THE DEPARTED Wahlberg, which don't get me wrong, is awesome too, but he finds a different range here. Truly the guy has come a long way from The Funky Bunch.

Christian Bale is absolutely phenomenal in his scene-stealing role as Micky's drug-addicted brother. This is such a great character that Bale really brings a lot of depth to. Dicky's easily angered, often detached and oblivious to how his affliction is affecting his life. He's also ashamed and vulnerable. He's not the most reliable guy in the world and he's in need of a serious wake-up call. But the thing is...you can completely understand why Micky would stand by him for so long. Underneath it all, he really is a great guy, full of energy and affection- somebody you'd really want in your corner. This is sure to go down as one of Bale's most remembered roles, and hopefully his enormous talent will finally be recognized by winning an Academy Award for it.

Behind every great man is a great woman, and Amy Adams also delivers a fantastic performance as Micky's girlfriend, who really helps him develop some backbone and at the same time is able to find some clarity in her misguided life. She's great in her role, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't thoroughly enjoy the eye-candy she brings to the movie. She has her fair share of revealing outfits and in one scene is shown wearing a see-through bra. Now THAT'S great filmmaking!

Also notable, just because it stood out to me, is that Conan O'Brien's sister, Kate, has a role in the movie, playing one of Micky's sisters. I sort of wish I wasn't privy to this information before seeing it because her resemblance to the goofy talk show host is uncanny...and a little disturbing.

I don't know why a lot of the most involving sports movies happen to be about boxing, I guess there's just something so primal and against all logic about people that get the crap beaten out of them for a living. It's worth knowing what makes these people tick. Yes, this is based on a true story, but I'm sure it's been tailored to fit Hollywood needs. Events have likely been rearranged and certain moments probably fabricated or altered, but THE FIGHTER doesn't attempt to portray the family shown here in a completely positive light. Nobody is a saint here, and everyone has their faults. When it finally arrives at its conclusion it is relieving, satisfying, and yes, inspiring. This is ultimately a happy story well deserving to be told on film but the sad reality is that there are no doubt hundreds and hundreds of similar stories that didn't end up quite as well. I can't tell you what exactly makes the family depicted in this movie so special. Maybe they're stronger, and more willing to compromise, and just maybe a little lucky, too. But I was left recalling a scene from the movie THE STRAIGHT STORY, where Richard Farnsworth lays down some wisdom upon a teenage runaway: he told her how he would give each of his kids a stick and ask them to snap them, which was easy. Then he'd give them a whole bundle, which couldn't be broken. "That's family."