Sometimes our greatest enemies are the ones who we are linked to from birth. In the case of boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), it is his family that causes a great deal of his strife in his life.
Based on a true story, The Fighter looks at Micky Ward’s turbulent journey towards becoming a boxing champion. Micky is managed by his overbearing mother, Alice Ward (Melissa Leo), and trained by his brother Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale). The latter is a former boxer whose biggest claim to fame is knocking out Sugar Ray Leonard many years earlier. Much to Micky’s dismay, Dickie, still hanging onto his past glory, becomes entangled in the world of drugs. After losing a series of boxing matches to opponents that he had no business fighting in the first place, Micky starts to question whether or not Alice and Dickie are really working in his best interest. When Micky starts dating Charlene (Amy Adams), he begins to seriously think about getting his life back on track. Yet in order for Micky to move forward with his boxing career he will have to sever ties with his family, a task easier said than done.
After taking a minor misstep with his last feature length film, I Heart Huckabees, director David O. Russell is back in top form with The Fighter. Although the film is set in the world of boxing, boxing is actually secondary. The Fighter is more of a character study than it is a boxing movie. All of the members of Mickey’s large family constantly talk about the obligations to family, but Micky seems to be the only one to actually adhere to “family” logic. The rest of the clan seems more than happy to ride Micky’s coattails. Alice and Dickie, in particular, are especially blinded by the money and the celebrity status they believe they have. This is prominent in the way both of them prance around for the HBO cameras. One of the best scenes in the film arrives when Dickie is watching the HBO documentary, which he believes is about his boxing career, and realizes that the show is actually about his drug addiction. The range of emotions which he goes through in the short span of time is fascinating to watch.
Christian Bale is mesmerizing as Dickie, he really does deserve many of the supporting actor awards he has be receiving this award season. Within the first five minutes of watching The Fighter you completely forget you are watching an actor. A similar point can be made for both Melissa Leo and Amy Adams, as they each completely immerse themselves into their roles. While each are strong on their own, their scenes together are filled with so much tension that it is only a matter of time before the rage starts to boil over. While Wahlberg may not bring the same impact as his fellow cast members, he still gives a rather good performance. While Wahlberg is talented, a lot of his best work in this film is due to Russell’s direction. Similar to other films they have worked together on, Russell finds a way to perfectly play up Wahlberg’s strengths as an actor. Russell is able to bring out a vulnerability in Wahlberg that is not often seen on screen.
If you go into The Fighter looking for a straight movie about boxing you might be a bit disappointed as the boxing scenes are nothing out of the ordinary. Films like Raging Bull, Rocky, The Hurricane and even Girlfight had more exciting in the ring scenes.Yet, if you are looking for a film that delivers both a good story and great performances, then The Fighter is definitely a film worth seeing.
Based on Alice Sebold’s novel, The Lovely Bones is the story of 14 year-old Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) who is murdered one day while walking home from school. Trapped in the world between heaven and earth, Susie watches as her parents (Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz) struggle to cope with her death while killer roams free. Despite Susie’s desire to have her killer brought to justice, she must decide whether it is worth ruining her family in the process.
Despite a few moments of flourish here and there I found The Lovely Bones to be a huge disappointment overall. I admit that my expectations may have been raised too high by the level of talent involved in the production. Still it is tough not to get excited when you look at all the cast and director on paper. Yet the mix of talent never quiet gels the way you would hope. As a result The Lovely Bones feels more like a made for television picture than it does a feature film.
I really hate to come down on Peter Jackson as Heavenly Creatures is still one of my all-time favorite movies. Yet it is Jackson’s direction that ultimately hurts The Lovely Bones. After films like the aforementioned Creatures, The Frighteners, and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I would have thought that Peter Jackson would be the logical choice to tackle a drama with fantastical elements such as this. Surprising though, it is the fantastical aspects, usually Jackson’s forte, which hinders the film the most.
Peter Jackson never seems to settle on what type of story he wants to tell. This causes the film to flow in a continuous start and stop pace. Jackson gets so caught up in the “middle world” scenes that he often leaves other characters hanging in the wind. To make up for this, he seems to abruptly throw in scenes just so he can check them off the list of points, which I assume are, from the novel. For example, the arrival of Susan Sarandon’s character leads the film into a “crazy Grandma Lynn tangent” that does nothing to really further the plot. The film practically resembles a sitcom at this point. Sure it adds a brief comedic moment but what does it achieve in the greater picture as a whole? I am sure that Grandma Lynn was fleshed out more in the book but in the film she is rather one-dimensional character.
Actually, with the exception of Stanley Tucci’s George Harvey, every character is rather stagnant. This is very apparent in Wahlberg and Weisz’ stunted story arc. Jackson never really provides us with much insight into their union. So when their relationship is tested it comes off very hollow. If you look at films such as In the Bedroom, you are drawn into the parent’s grief because you fully understand how they worked as a couple in happier times.
Similar to the parent’s arc, I would have preferred greater insight into Lindsay Solmon (Rose McIver) as well. Her involvement in the second half of the film felt somewhat tacked on last minute. She is pretty much non-existent for a good portion of the film, then she is becomes the heroic character all of a sudden. A little more background would have increased the tension in her scenes with George Harvey.
Speaking of George Harvey, this was the one aspect that I thought Jackson nailed perfectly. Stanley Tucci brought an interesting interpretation to the role. He was always calculating but never overly creepy. I found myself being more interested in figuring out what made George Harvey tick rather than what Susie Salmon was doing in the “world between worlds”. Tucci was the only thing truly lovely bone in the body of this uneven film.
Despite my love for Salma Hayek, I refused to be tricked into seeing this formulaic comedy. I wish Adam Sandler would do more dramatic roles, or even quirky romantic comedies like Punch Drunk Love.
The Other Guys
This seems to be the better of the two comedies featured today. I hated Step Brothers but I must admit The Other Guys peak my interests a little. The film has the potential of being either really funny or just plain awful. I expect Will Ferrell to do his same old shtick but I am hoping Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson, and Dwayne Johnson can provide the big laughs.
