More character than boxing

Rating: 9/10 (22 December 2010)

More so than boxing it's about characters and choices.
Choosing which people to listen to and retain in one's life is a theme we can all relate to. And even more than boxing this movie concerns itself with the people Micky Ward chooses to have in his corner both in the ring and in life.
The seemingly selfish and misguided mother and the eccentric, loony brother control Micky's destiny perhaps devastating his potential to become a great boxer. A girl comes into Micky's life who helps Micky achieve clarity and provide him with womanly support. The ultimate choice Micky makes is not predictable and that sets it apart from the clichéd predictability of boxing movies.
There are two character studies and as much as the movie is about Micky it is also about his brother Dicky played by Bale. The over the top, loony, egotistical, wired Dicky plays an amusing, odd-couply contrast to the mild mannered, unassuming solid Micky. He too must make a climatic decision in the movie with regards to his life and his vulnerability with drugs. These two characters play off each other as can be imagined of fighter brothers with such drastically different personalities. Despite the obvious confrontations, their hearts for each other are warmly felt.
What makes this a very good movie is that you really care about the characters. Good acting from Amy Adam's loving womanliness, to Bale's charming goofiness, to Walberg's unassuming soft-spoken way create characters that represent a common Americana. The familiarity felt from these people blended with the all American setting of Lowell Mass, with its array of down-home individuals, provide us with characters that are so endearing that we can't help but to effortlessly empathize with them.