The Fighter

One's boxing career is one of many things that should not be combined with one's crack habit.

Nominated for:
Best Supporting Actor - Christian Bale
Best Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo and Amy Adams
Directing - David O. Russell
Best Picture
Best Original Screenplay - Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Keith Dorringto

Also nominated for:
Film Editing - Pamela Martin

I had much ambivalence going in, but there are lots of bits about this film that are hard not to like. The opening sequence is quite well done, and incorporates an ironic use of this super-macho song which brings a smile to my face. This one is a pretty good example of a performance-based film that doesn't let the many other cinematic elements fall to the wayside. The long shots and minimal editing of dialog-based scenes combined with the hand-held cinematography push the overall documentary feel of the film, lending a lot of credibility to the characters' inner, and outer, conflicts.

That was basically a really convoluted and pretentious way of saying the film comes off as realistic, but there you have it. That's pretty much all I have to say. Plus, kudos to Amy Adams and Melissa Leo (and the wardrobe department) for pulling off Trashy without being Skanky.

As a dear friend pointed out upon exiting the theater - despite their differences, all the characters want the exact same thing, which not only drives the plot, but leads to some spectacular brawl's outside the boxing ring! A win!

Eli

Rating: 3 for innovation, 4 for emotional content, and 4 for cohesiveness.