Fighters and Dreams

Rating: 8/10 (3 September 2018)

"Irish" Mickey Ward (played by Academy Award Nominee Mark Wahlberg) is considered a stepping-stone for those who are on their way to the top in the world light welterweight title. His trainer is his brother (played by Academy Award Winner Christian Bale), his mother is his manager (played by Academy Award Winner Melissa Leo), and his girlfriend is his number one support system (played by Academy Award Nominee Amy Adams). This movie details his million-to-one rise to the top as he goes to show that he is not just a stepping stone. However there are more problems than just his fight; his brother is a drug abuser who hangs out at a crack house, thus pushing Mickey away and leading him to be pulled in two different directions by his family and his girlfriend.
What a great film. Plain and simple. The editing of this film was on pace with the rest of it, and the story - which is based on a true story, btw - is an absolutely astonishing one. I recently reviewed David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook," which he made after this. Both movies prove that the director is a modern genius. Whether you agree with his tactics or not, you cannot deny that the guy is talented and knows how to get the best of the best from his cast.
And speaking of which, I just got to say that the cast all brings their "A" game to this movie. I would like to talk about the supporting characters first, because their characters are just as important as Mickey himself. Amy Adams is brilliant as his no-nonsense girlfriend, while Melissa Leo is great as his no-nonsense mother. While I do believe that they weren't the most deserving people to win Best Supporting Actress that year (that should have gone to Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech, imo), both actresses provide their characters with enough of a hard attitude that it's not surprising to see them fighting against each other for Mickey. Yet you can't help but love either one of them; as a result, both actresses at least deserved the nomination. The same can be said for Christian Bale; while I don't think he was the most deserving actor for his category (that award should have gone to Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech), he gives the most well-rounded performance in the whole entire movie. He is the loser who once had his shot but who is now considered a lost cause. He is considered a pity case. He is a drug addict. And yet, due to the love he has for his family and his brother, you can't help but love him and hope that he defeats his battle against drugs. Bale did not miss a beat; thus he did also deserve a nomination. However, the one actor who did not get an acting nomination was the main man himself, Mark Wahlberg. While he did get nominated for the Best Picture category as a producer on the film, I found it tragic that he wasn't recognized in the lead actor category. He should have been nominated over Javier Bardem's performance in Biutiful; Wahlberg is the guy that you hope gets the shot that he needs for his career. He is amazing in this role and he hits all the right notes.
Finally, I got to pay my respects to Mickey Ward and Dicky Eklund, who both fought very hard battles to get where they are today. While I do not watch boxing, I have nothing but respect for those who fight for what means the most to them. Fighting against drug addiction is hard and so is being considered a stepping-stone. Here's to two men who truly are...THE FIGHTERS.
All in all, a great film! Go and watch it!