5 Q Movie Review: The Fighter

Q: OK, this is a working class Boston movie, so we gotta know: Accents?
A: Not as prominent as in "The Town," which may be a good or a bad thing. People in this movie are too busy being drunk, stoned, or beaten in one form or another to worry about their hard "r's". Much like "The Town," though, I held this DVD way too long from Netflix. Did I regret renting it? No. Did I regret keeping it two months? Yep.

Q: Which one is "The Fighter," Mark Wahlberg or Christian Bale?
A: It's ostenisbly the life story of Irish Micky Ward, played by Wahlberg, but Bale, mesmerizing as his drug-addicted brother, runs away with the movie, aided by a screenplay that emphasizes Ward's family members as much as it does Ward himself. It's no wonder poor Wahlberg was the only major castmember not nominated for an Oscar.

Q: Does this movie pack a...punch? Are the boxing scenes credible?
A: Oh, you're clever, you. Actually, the movie, while well acted and compelling, feels more like a split decision or maybe even a technical draw at the end. The boxing itself is second fiddle to the out-of-the ring battles, which is the point, but still, Ward's most famous bouts aren't even portrayed, but rather addressed with a brief title card at the end.

Q: Who is the most fearsome force in boxing history?
A: Forget Mike Tyson. Forget Sonny Liston (OK, maybe a lot of people forgot him after the Ali fights). The most intimidating individual in the long history of the sweet science, if this movie
is any barometer, is Micky Ward's mom. The woman passed away recently, and I don't want to speak ill of the departed, but, lordy, Melissa Leo's portrayal of her is so over the top she goes all the way around and starts coming into the movie from the bottom.

Q: Does this serve as a good cautionary tale against the perils of drug use?
A: Uh, well, I suppose so, in the sense that Christian Bale's Dicky Eklund character becomes a fractured mess due to his crack addiction. But at least he has an excuse. The movie actually makes a strong case for drinking yourself blotto every night if you live with this family, especially considering the crazy broads in the house.

The first sight of Jack McGee, the beloved first station chief from "Rescue Me," he's staggering around a bar and generally making an ass out of himself. However, as the story progresses, he becomes one of the more sympathetic characters in it, and you start to wonder why he doesn't drink more. So nay on drugs, yay on booze is the message I take from this.