The Fighter (2010)

Directed by David O. Russell

Written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, and Keith Dorrington

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo

     From the elusive David O. Russell, comes yet another movie about boxing that majorly succeeds in the theaters and during awards season. These films either revolve around an underdog boxer, who is given one more chance in the ring, and succeeds greatly. These ones always have tremendous success among viewers as they sympathize with the underdog, and root for their success. Then there are the fighting movies that have deeper and darker back stories of the fighter- and have lots of hidden connotations. The Fighter is a rare gem that represents both these types of films. Based on the true story of Irish fighter Mickey Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg), this film is much different from other boxing films. 

     Set in Lowell, Massachusetts in the 1990's- The Fighter opens with an HBO documentary crew filming Mickey's older brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). The HBO documentary is a chronicle of how crack destroys lives- with Dicky being the prime example. Dicky believes the film crew is documenting his triumphant, eventual return to the boxing ring. When he's not spending his days in Lowell's notorious crack house, he is training with Mickey. With the incompetent management of his mother, Alice (Melissa Leo) and Dicky's unreliability in training- Mickey gets thrown into a fight against a guy who is 20 pounds heavier than he is, and gets pulverized. Mickey soon gains the confidence he needs to break away from his parasitical family when he meets bartender, Charlene (Amy Adams). Dicky's reckless actions land him up the river- which is when Mickey takes matters into his own hands to further his boxing career. With the help of his girlfriend Charlene; his father, George (Jack McGee); and his new trainer, O'Keefe (Mickey O'Keefe)- Mickey steps towards respectability in the sport of boxing. While he tries to make a name for himself with his new support crew- Mickey's family drama continues to threaten his career. 

     The family drama mixed with the sports, is what makes this film so enjoyable. Mickey's extremely dysfunctional family puts him in a lot of difficult situations. Mickey faces a lot of dismay over choosing a more professional manager and trainer, over his mother and brother. 

     In the end credits, there are some clips with the real life Mickey Ward and Dickey Eklund. I was astonished with the similarities between Christian Bale's portrayal and the actual Dickey. Bale perfectly nails the mannerisms and habits of Dickey. Him and Melissa Leo crawl into the skins of their characters and play unforgettable characters in this film. Leo and Bale both took home Oscars for their supporting roles in this film- however I think their performances were anything but supporting. Amy Adams plays a foul-mouthed bartender who is the girlfriend of Mickey, and was contender for the supporting role oscar that went to Leo. We're used to seeing Adams in more innocent roles, so seeing her play this confrontational bitch who beats up one of Mickey's seven sisters- was surprising. Her ability to take on any role given to her is amazing. Mark Wahlberg does well in the lead role- but is often overlooked because of the complexity of the supporting characters. 

     This film does not fit the status quo of boxing movies at all, which is why I enjoyed it so much. It mostly focused on how Mickey's deranged family effects his career. The boxing scenes were still thrilling though. The cast drives this film to success. One of my favorite roles of Bale's. 

I give The Fighter a...

7/10 

Easy A (2010)

Directed by Will Gluck

Written by Bert V. Royal

Starring Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley and Aly Michalka 

     Director Will Gluck, brings us a film that could've fallen in the abyss of cliche movies that revolve around teenage angst and the struggles of fitting in in high school. However, Easy A falls into a unique category of movies about teenagers with satirical references to popular culture, genuine humor, and a lead actress who's momentum never dies down the whole film. 

     Olive (Emma Stone) is an ordinary high school student; in her own words, if she were a ten-story building, Google Earth wouldn't notice her. This claim quickly changes after an innocent lie to her best friend, Rhiannon (Aly Michalka). Growing weary of being virginal and boring, Olive tells her friend that she lost virginity to some guy in college. Un-lucky for her, the school's religion enthusiast and big gossiper, Marianne (Amanda Bynes) over-hears. Her fake confession spreads through the school like wild fire via whispers, text messages and notes passed in class. After one period, Olive's "lost" virginity is what the whole student body is talking about. The main character exacerbates her new floozy reputation when she agrees to help her gay friend (Dan Byrd) "lose his virginity." The two execute a very fake but public sexcapade to convince everyone of his "heterosexuality."

At first Olive embraces her newfound reputation as she embroiders a red A on her chest- just as Hester Prynne did in The Scarlet Letter. As her skanky facade starts to spiral out of control, Olive becomes increasingly more aware of the negatives associated with popularity. 

     What I liked about Easy A so much was how it has such a unique voice compared to other teenager themed films. It plays with the correlation between popularity and sleaze. The screenwriters really dived into what popularity has become in high school, and what it really entails. 

     Emma Stone represents who we wish we could be in the face of sometimes cruel high school judgment and gossip. She gets her chance at leading a film and does it beautifully with charm and ease. Her character had such quick wit and was so likable. I found myself constantly rooting for her the entire duration of the film. It's no surprise Stone received her first Golden Globe nomination for this role. The supporting cast is riddled with familiar names. Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci play Olive's cooky yet supportive parents. The many times I audibly laughed during Easy A were from scenes between Olive and her parents. Thomas Hayden Church plays Olive's favorite teacher, Mr. Griffith. While Lisa Kudrow plays the guidance counselor who is also the teacher's wife. Penn Badgley plays the love interest- who the main character takes the whole movie to fall for. Which we've seen before in John Tucker Must Die. 

     Easy A sheds some light on important issues that many teenagers are probably going through now and adults who went through them years ago. This may be a film directed towards teens but it really deserves a wider audience. It has lots of bold humor that anyone can enjoy. One of my favorite teen films next to Mean Girls. One of my favorite films starring Emma Stone. 

I give Easy A a...

7/10 

     

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

       

Directed by Lisa Cholodenko

Written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg

Starring: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

     After watching this movie, I can see why its only the kids that are all right. Lisa Cholodenko wears two hats as Writer and Director of this drama/comedy film, and scored her first Academy Awards nomination for best writing for an original screenplay. Cholodenko brilliantly tells a story that American film has never really seen before of two kids both conceived through artificial insemination  that are on the search for the man who donated his sperm to their moms over a decade ago.
     The movie begins and you meet Laser (Josh Hutcherson) and I was immediately hooked because come on, his name is Laser! How unbelievably cool is that! Right off the bat you can tell that Laser is the rebellious younger child while his sister, Joni (Mia Wasikowska) is the older, responsible child who is in the midst of her last summer at home before she heads off to college. Then we meet their moms, Nic (Annette Bening), the authoritarian hard working doctor and Jules (Julianne Moore), the free spirited budding landscape designer. Joni and Laser are well aware of the circumstances of their conception and once Joni is "of age" her and Laser begin the process of finding the man who donated sperm to their moms all these years ago. When bohemian restaurant owner, Paul (Mark Ruffalo) is contacted by the sperm bank that two children would like to meet him, he is caught of guard but intrigued and agrees to meet with them. Fast forward past a first awkward lunch between the kids and Paul to a dinner with Nic and Jules with the children and Paul. Nic, being very type A personality, becomes very territorial over Paul's sudden impact on her families life. She is uncomfortable with how much her children and wife warm up to him, and she makes that very clear. Nic's actions seem a bit over the top at first, but are soon appropriate when a heterosexual relationship begins with Paul and Jules.
     Jules craves attention and affection, which are two things she is not getting from Nic. Thus she jumps into the arms of the first guy or girl that can give her that, which happens to be her and Nic's once anonymous sperm donor. Though their predicament is very unusual, it is not just because they are a couple of the same sex. Similar issues can be found in more conventional households. That Cholodenko decided to tell such an interesting story of the forces that can dominate a relationship with a homo-sexual couple is very different and refreshing from what we as an audience are used to seeing.
     Bening's performance as the outspoken perfectionist, Nic was one of my favorites and one of the reasons I enjoyed the film so much. At one point she says something along the lines of "I need your observations like I need a dick in my ass." My mouth was agape for a solid ten seconds after that line. The audacity that her character has to just say whatever she wants was very fun to watch and I was not surprised she got an Oscar nomination for her role in this. Mark Ruffalo did an impressive job of bringing some light comedy to a movie that otherwise would have been too dark. I have always been a big fan of Julianne Moore and how she is able to play such a wide array of characters, so seeing her play this role was very pleasing.
     Cholodenko leaves the film with a lot of loose ends not neatly knotted, but I still left the movie feeling oddly satisfied. There's really no "happy ending." She really did leave the characters feeling "all right." My satisfaction with the ending comes from the feeling of just being told maybe not your conventional story where some sort of catharsis is reached, but an honest atypical story. The Kids Are All Right was more than "all right" to me.

I give The Kids Are All Right a...

7/10