Claim: Christian Bale has only ever worked with women.

The Fighter is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell , and starring Mark Wahlberg , Christian Bale , Amy Adams and Melissa Leo . The film centers on the lives of professional boxer Micky Ward -LRB- Wahlberg -RRB- and his older half-brother Dicky Eklund -LRB- Bale -RRB- . The film also stars Amy Adams as Micky 's girlfriend Charlene Fleming , and Melissa Leo as Micky and Dicky 's mother , Alice Eklund-Ward . The film was inspired by the 1995 documentary that features the Eklund-Ward family , titled High on Crack Street : Lost Lives in Lowell .   The film was released in select North American theaters on December 17 , 2010 and was released in the United Kingdom on February 4 , 2011 . It was nominated for seven Academy Awards , including Best Picture and Best Director , winning the awards for Best Supporting Actor -LRB- Christian Bale -RRB- and Best Supporting Actress -LRB- Melissa Leo -RRB- . It was the first film to win both awards since Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986 .