Does "The Fighter" pack a punch? Or does it get "KO'D" in it's first round?

Mark Wahlberg has come a long way. From dropping his dacks in public and showing the world who he worked for (Calvin Klein great marketing there), to forming his own rap group of Marky Mark and the funky bunch (with one of the best song's of the 90's Good Vibrations), Mark was not someone you would expect to be approached to make damn good movies. The juvenile pants dropper became a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry when people stood up and took notice when he stared as porn star Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights. From then on there have been many hits and misses (more hits good work Wahlberg) and grew even more praise when he stared in his Oscar Nominated role in "The Departed" against such heavyweight actors like Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Leo. This time though, Walhberg has became the main star in David O. Russell's new film "The Fighter." Staring as well as producing this family/sports drama Wahlberg has managed to score a top notch cast. But unfortunately, that is the problem for him. But I am jumping too far ahead. Let me begin.

Based on a true story, The Fighter tells the story of Micky Ward (Wahlberg) a man who has been put into the world of boxing by his manager/mum Alice (Melissa Leo) after the success of his brother Dicky (Christian Bale) whose claim to fame was beating out Sugar Ray Leonard. However, Dicky is not the same fighter he once was. Now a washed up, crack addicted, shade of his former self, his habit could ruin the chance for his brother. With the help of Dicky as his trainer, Micky gears up for the fight that could take him further in his career. But Micky's pride is bruised when he loses a fight to a man twice his size and believes he has brought embarrassment to his family. Enter his love interest Charlene (Amy Adams) a college drop out who now works at the local pub who offers Micky advice that he should steer clear of his families wishes and do what he wants to do, which is, leave his manager/mother, leave his now cracked out brother, and leave behind the world he once thought was the normal way to live, which starts to divide his already strained family. From here on we witness a family torn apart by addiction, love, and sacrifice.

Where to start with this review. Well first off, I am with the Academy on this one. The acting is absolutely fantastic. Mark Wahlberg gives a good performance as Micky and gives us a look into the world of this interesting story of a heavyweight champ. See how I said good and not great, that's because the fact is that all the supporting players just tear up the screen when they are on, and really I started to forget he was even on screen. It is the supporting cast who really bring this movie together. You will not believe your eyes when you see Christian Bale. If you ever wanted to see the results of crack on Batman, watch this movie. Bale is terrific as Dickie and went to such extreme lengths for this film. He steals every scene he is in. We don't necessarily feel sorry for Dickie, but we sure do see the implications that this drug can have on a family and themselves thanks to his portrayal and rightfully deserves his best supporting Oscar nomination (my pick he will win it).

It looks like the Academy is truly loving crazy mothers this award season as the trend is that most of the supporting actresses have played scary mums. We have Jackie Weaver from Animal Kingdom (now she was scary), Barbara Hersey from Black Swan as the mental mum and now we can add Melissa Leo who plays Alice the boys mum in The Fighter to that mix. Alice is a mum who wants the best for her boys, but also the best for herself. She risks Mickey's life and turns a blind eye to Dickies problems. We do get a sense that she has had a hard life, but also that she does care for her nine children as the head strong woman who feels that a new woman is about to take her place. Enter Charlene played by the amazing Amy Adams who is also up for an Oscar for her portrayal (and in my opinion should win it). I am a bit biased when it comes to Amy as I love her. From the enchanted princess in "Enchanted" to the scared and confused nun in "Doubt"to this, Amy's body of work is amazing. And here she gives us a look at a character strong, independent, and ready to help Mickey see his family for what they are and provide him with the support and the courage to move his career to the next level. As they say, "behind every great man, there has to be a great woman." And that sure is the case here. Amy demands you watch her on screen and makes the movie extremely enjoyable as her sassy character upstages everyone.

Here is the downfall of this movie. I must admit I really didn't love it. I thought the acting was superb, except the main problem is Wahlberg. He is so good in other things, but this I really didn't care about his journey. I craved seeing the supporting actors and wished that the movie was about them. I don't know if it was the screenplay or what, but I really found it very average, and really does not belong in the Best Picture category at this year's Oscars. Acting, yes,. Picture, no. It just felt really all over the place. We are bombarded with fight scenes then emotional scenes, then just mediocre scenes. I don't know why, but I just could not connect with this film at all. With other boxing movies packing more of a punch, I'm talking about the first Rocky and Million Dollar Baby amongst others, they got it right, mixing enough sport with enough emotion to draw the outside viewer who may not be interested in the occupation to want to view a story about these people's lives. Sometimes you can do it with genres and sometimes you can't. The Fighter in my opinion didn't It sorted fizzled out for me about an hour into it. A few scenes as well were just way over the top (I'm talking about the family harassing Charlene, you will know when you see it) which really I started laughing when I don't think you were meant to.

My verdict. I really only enjoyed this for the acting. Bale, Adams and Leo were excellent. They provide the only draw card to this movie. Other than that, I really can't recommend anything else. I feel bad for saying that because the amount of talent on display should have lifted this movie to an emotionally charged drama with boxing as a background. But it didn't for me. The Fighter did fizzle out and really I lost interest in the first round. 7/10