The Fighter

With Oscars for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, I wanted to watch this movie for the opposite reason as that for Due Date and The Tourist, and let me tell you, it was so nice to watch a good movie that took so much care in developing the characters.

The Prestige is one of my favourite movies, and is the reason I can forgive all of Christian Bale's crazy and just appreciate his acting. The Oscar was well deserved for his role as the washed-out, drugged-out older brother to Mark Wahlberg. Something also has to be said for Christian Bale's physical transformation, he lost a lot of weight for this part and it just makes his character all the more believable.

Another thing this movie has going for it is the fact that it is based on a true story. True stories automatically get bonus points for me, and I love endings that have the written follow up about what happens after for the people whom the movie is based on. On a related note, I really like movies that take place in the '90's for some reason, I guess because my earliest memories are of the '90's and it is nice to see all the fashion, cars, and buildings that feel so nineties. So this movie has that going for it too.

Melissa Leo won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the mother in The Fighter, and I can't say that she did a whole lot to earn it. If you are going to win an Oscar for a small role, it should have an impact. I automatically think back to Monique's win for Precious, now that is how you win an Oscar, Melissa Leo on the other hand, was just ok, she didn't wow me with her performance, maybe the pickings were slim. I do remember that another nominee in the category was Amy Adams, also for The Fighter, I would say her performance was comparable, good, but nothing special. It was nice to see her a little dirtier than we are used to (you may remember Amy Adams as the lead in Enchanted).

And this is how I like my Marky Mark. If you read my review on The Other Guys you may remember that I was less than impressed. In this movie though he makes me care about his character, he makes me try to understand why he does what he does, and this can be said for all the characters, they do what they do for a reason, not for jokes or to move the plot along, but because they are real people in real situations. I couldn't help but feel that Christian Bale was more of a lead than Mark though, he certainly had the stronger personality and left a bigger impression. The struggle between his family and what is best for him is a conflict that Mark's Micky deals with quietly, with some (ok a lot) of backup from his girlfriend (Adams) I sometimes wish he would speak up for himself, but when a movie is based on true events, I find it's better for the filmmakers to tell the story how it is, and not how the audience might wish it to be.

The acting is top notch and the family dynamic is a flawless combination.

The verdict:

A perfect change of pace to those silly comedies and action movies, you can't go wrong with The Fighter.