Good acting, but a story you've seen many times before

Rating: 6/10 (8 February 2011)

There seem to have been two types of boxing films over the years: 1) those showing the false hopes, and hard falls, of ultimately-doomed boxers (e.g., "The Harder They Fall"); 2) and those showing a boxer rising from working class origins to, improbably, reach a title bout during which he's about to lose but then draws upon inner strength to win. This film is the latter. It's "based on a true story," so it's not completely made-up (like "Rocky"), but it's also not strictly factual (I don't know what parts were and which were not).
The one area in which the film stands out is acting. The Oscar-nominated performances by Christian Bale and Melissa Leo stand out. Bale, who submerges himself into his role enough that I didn't recognize him, is particularly worthy of his award. His apparently quick kicking of a cocaine addiction was the one part that seemed contrived. Leo convincingly plays a character so obnoxious that you don't want the inevitable reconciliation with Micky to take place. However, her quick change in behavior towards the end of the film did not ring true. Mark Wahlberg does a fine job, as does Amy Adams, playing a typical movie girlfriend standing by her man through hard times. Adams's acting seemed particularly, well, ordinary (not bad, just not special). I was very surprised at her nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The actresses playing the sisters did good jobs playing white trash babes with hair styles I haven't seen since the 1960s. I would not want to meet any of them in a dark alley-- or anywhere else, for that matter.
The scenes taking place in boxing rings look like those I've seen in dozens of films before. I am no boxing expert, but Wahlberg did not appear all that tired in the matches, even when he appeared he was about to lose. These scenes are inevitably matched with those of cheering friends and family watching the match on television. The climactic scene of his victory in the championship bout, with the cheers and hugs, was expected, and almost a cliché. Again, not badly done, but nothing I haven't seen before.
All in all, "The Fighter" is a good, well-acted film with a familiar storyline and ending. You probably don't go expecting a surprise ending (especially if you see the film in someplace like Brazil, where the film is titled "O Vencedor," meaning "The Victor"), and news stories about the film, and well-publicized synopses, give away its ending. I can understand people enjoying the film, and some of the performances being awarded prizes, but I do not understand effusive praise declaring the film a 9 or 10 out of 10.