A sports film that appeals to those uninterested in the sport

Rating: 9/10 (11 December 2011)

The Fighter is a film about a future boxing champion and the conflicts he has with his overbearing mother and drug addicted brother. Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is a gifted boxer who has not been properly managed. He is believed to be a "stepping stone" for other boxers. The actions of his crack addicted brother, Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale) and poor career management by his mother, Alice (Melissa Leo) results in the difficulty Micky has had in his career.
Micky chooses to remain loyal to his family by having Dicky be his trainer. Dick, a shell of his former self, used to be a professional boxer and his only career achievement was beating Sugar Ray. He has been addicted to drugs for many years, is irresponsible, and is seldom serious about his brother's career. Many times he is late for training and will disappear for days. Micky knows of his brother's problems but chooses not to speak out against him, even though his career is hurting because of Dicky.
Alice is the overbearing mother who manages Micky's boxing career. If anyone defies her choices, she lashes out and accuses them of going against the family. Micky's sisters seem to resemble Alice in their attitudes, showing how influential she has been on them over the years. She books fights against heavier opponents for Micky, because of the money offered. Because of her horrible management, Micky's fights are one-sided and they hurt his professional career.
Micky's beliefs about his family's actions begin to change after he starts dating Charlene (Amy Adams). She has a strong personality that allows her to speak anything on her mind. In many ways, her personality is very similar to Alice's and Micky's sisters, which may be why he is attracted to her. Her outside view of Micky's family allows her to explain to Micky that having his family promote his career is a terrible decision, and that they are not looking out for him. He learns that he can become a famous boxer without his mother and brother, and decides to train with Mickey O'Keefe (playing himself) and be managed by Sal Lanano (Frank Renzulli).
Eventually, Micky's family argues with Charlene, O'Keefe, and Lanano. Micky speaks out against this by telling everyone he is the one fighting and this is supposed to be about what he wants. By speaking out against everyone, Micky shows that he has become confident in himself and is willing to change how things are done to become a successful boxer. His only wish is for the people around him to cooperate and support him for the title match.
Change is the theme in The Fighter. Micky becomes confident and speaks up against those around him, instead of following what is chosen for him. Dicky sobers up after being in prison and chooses not to continue that lifestyle after his release. Christian Bale loses weight to play the drug addicted Dicky, and then he gains weight back to show the great change that happens when a person overcomes an addiction to drugs. Dicky also admits that his defeat over Sugar Ray was because Sugar Ray had tripped in their match. Alice learns to allow Micky to make his own choices and to trust others.
Micky's boxing style is a motif for the film's theme. During his professional fights, Micky is defensive and absorbs the blows from his opponents. He places his arms up to block punches, but is unable to fight back. This is metaphoric to the damage his family does to his career, and Micky refuses to fight back by speaking out against his mother and brother. After his hand is healed, Micky continues to fight and uses the same strategy, but not he fights back with hits of his own, at the correct spots, to beat his opponent. Just like in his professional bouts, Micky now speaks up against the conflict caused by those in his life.
Parallel cutting is used to differentiate between the contrasting personalities of Micky and Dicky. One scene will show Micky being responsible by training, and then the scene will cut to Dicky being under influence when he is supposed to be training Micky. The scene cuts with Dicky shows the audience the personality changes he undergoes during the film.
Many sports films share a similar theme. To become a better athlete, the main character needs to make changes in their lives. In Rocky, the main character has to face personal problems that hinder his ability to become the best boxer.