If you haven’t yet seen The Fighter, you should. It is based on the true story of half-brothers Micky Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg) and Dicky Eklund (played by Christian Bale), one of which was a drug addict, the other one going on to win the welterweight title. Dicky’s addiction gets in the way of Micky reaching his goals, and almost completely ruins Dicky’s life. But Dicky is eventually able to overcome his addiction, helping his brother win the title, and completely turning his own life around for good. The film received seven Academy Award nominations.
A Story of Addiction and Redemption
The film documents the brothers’ journey through addiction and eventual success. When Micky decides to more seriously pursue boxing, he enlists the help of his older brother Dicky to train him. But Dicky’s very serious drug addiction keeps getting in the way, eventually causing Micky to cut him off. Eventually, motivated by his love for his brother, Dicky is able to overcome his drug addiction and help his brother win the welterweight title. The movie is also about a documentary that HBO did on Dicky’s drug addiction, even though they got the family to participate in the filming of the documentary by telling them it was about Micky’s rise in his boxing career.
Because the movie is based on a true story of real brothers, one of them having a real addiction, it is a very heartwarming story. Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale act like real brothers. Christian Bale plays a very convincing drug addict, having you believe his part in the story. He lost many pounds in order to play this role, and on the screen you see a sunken in face, shifty eyes, and frail body. He spent time with the real Dicky Eklund, studying his voice, facial expressions, body language, mannerisms, and accent. In the movie, he looks and acts like a real drug addict. You forget you are watching an actor portraying a drug addict. While watching Bale, you feel you are watching a true addict. You find yourself frustrated with Dicky and how his addiction gets in the way of his brother’s success, while at the same time feeling so sorry for him and yearning that he will find recovery and mend his life and relationships.
Bale won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of drug addict Dicky.
At the end of the film you see Micky and Dicky talking and laughing together, with Dicky now completely clean and sober. It is a happy and heartwarming ending to a real and troubling movie. Thank goodness some real life stories actually do have happy endings!
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’][/author_image] [author_info]
Nicole writes for www.freedomdrugrehab.com. She loves sharing her knowledge and helping educate others about addiction recovery on the Freedom Drug Rehab blog.[/author_info] [/author]
