The Fighter (2010)

Based on the story of Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness.

Director:

David O. Russell

Writers:

Scott Silver (screenplay), Paul Tamasy (screenplay)

Stars:

Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams

Won 2 Oscars. Another 72 wins & 123 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 | scantily clad female | panties | nipples visible through clothing | 

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Taglines:

Every dream deserves a fighting chance.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout, drug content, some violence and sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Darren Aronofsky was previously attached to direct, but left the production to work on Black Swan (2010).

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Goofs

During the Shea Neary/Micky Ward fight, the boxers were weighed in at "10 stones 6 pounds" each. 10 stones equal 140 pounds. That would make them both Welterweights. In reality, they fought at Junior Welterweight (limit of 140 pounds). At the actual weigh in in 2000, Neary weighed in at 139 pounds and Ward at 140 pounds, the limit for Jr. Welterweights.

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Quotes

Mickey Ward: I don't have a girlfriend, all right? I... I like you. I came here because I don't wanna show my face in Lowell. I told everybody I was gonna win that fight and get back on track. I told my daughter I was gonna get a bigger apartment so she could move in. You don't think I wanted to call you? I was embarrassed. I mean, I'm sick of bein' a fuckin' disappointment. I...
Charlene Fleming: You really think your family's lookin' out for you?

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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 WatchMojo: Top 10 Best and Worst Mark Wahlberg Movies (2020)

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Soundtracks

Voices Carry
Written by Michael Hausman, Robert Holmes, Aimee Mann and Joseph Pesce
Performed by 'Til Tuesday
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Great direction and performances make this an excellent film

Do we have a lot of sport films where the underdog ends up winning and overcoming many obstacles along the way until the end? Definitely. Does The Fighter succeed? Very much so...

For a film like this it is very difficult to make it completely unpredictable, yet while The Fighter is in a way conventional, it is also unpredictable many times. It has great characters to boot, but also a strong cast that is willing to give it their all. This is the best ensemble cast of the year,, many amazing performances. First, I start off with Mark Wahlberg, who has been the most under the radar, but he is definitely up for this. He is a great lead and I am surprised he was as good as he was. I am also very pleasantly surprised by Amy Adams. Not to say she is a bad actress, but I was always used to her roles all being similar and now she is in a completely different role for her, and to say she succeeds is an understatement. She is excellent, and is only made strong when sharing the screen with any other actor. Melissa Leo is also great, and I think she is on par with Adams. The difference between Adams and Leo is that Leo has the more award-baity role. Now we have Christian Bale, who I do think is the best. I have seen his performances and while he has always been good, he has never truly risen above others in his films, here he does. He is excellent, and he as of now deserves that Oscar.

David Russel's direction is part of what makes this film so great, He soars scenes to unbelievable heights and I think that the screenplay in another director's hands would have came out with a merely good film. But here, we have an excellent film, perhaps better than 2008's The Wrestler, and one of the best films of the year.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 December 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Fighter

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$300,010, 12 December 2010

Gross USA:

$93,617,009

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$129,190,869

Company Credits

Production Co:

Closest to the Hole Productions, Fighter, Mandeville Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1