Plenty of out-of-the ring fights to enjoy

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2010)

Mark Wahlburg and director David O'Russell bring the amusement park that is the Ward/Eklund family to life with a brutal honesty that could have alienated their subjects and landed the two of them in court, if it weren't for the love they put into it. I live in the Boston area, and these are the truest characters I've ever seen in film, not just for the accents but also for the body language and all-around attitude. And you've gotta love 'em.
Christian Bale channels Dicky, whom Bale described in an interview as "Tigger." Don't be misled into thinking the title role is Micky, played with admirable restraint by Wahlburg. It is Dicky's film through and through. Bale's tragic/comic persona is a surprise and delight, and he forms the linchpin of this heroic tale.
If you don't like fights in the ring, that's fine, you'll like this movie anyway. There are plenty of other fights to enjoy. Melissa Leo slays everyone as the UberMom, and the catty sisters let it all rip. Amy Adams as Charlene claws to keep her man. In short, nobody pulls any punches, and if there was ever an Oscar-ready film, this is it.