Trailer
Plot summary
Dicky Eklund's biggest success in boxing came in 1978, when he went the full distance against Sugar Ray Leonard. He now trains his half-brother Micky Ward, a welterweight from Lowell, Massachusetts, whose career their mother, Alice, manages. Dicky is addicted to crack cocaine, and a documentary crew is filming him for a project he believes will cover a comeback. Micky's opponent for an Atlantic City undercard falls ill, and the replacement, Mike Mungin, weighs twenty pounds more and fights almost three weight classes above him. Alice and Dicky insist Mungin is out of shape; he is in top condition and beats Micky. Micky retreats from boxing and begins a relationship with Charlene Fleming, a bartender.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Fighter (2010)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- After both Brad Pitt and Matt Damon dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, Eminem was considered for the role of Eklund but was not cast because of recording conflicts with his music. Wahlberg suggested Bale for the role after meeting the actor at a preschool their daughters both attended.
- At one point Catherine Hardwicke expressed interest in directing The Fighter, but she was told by producers that the film had to be directed by a man.
- Russell built the boxing footage in big choreographed sections taken directly from video of Micky Ward's actual fights, and used the actual commentary from HBO's Larry Merchant, Roy Jones Jr. and Jim Lampley. He also used Beta cameras from that era and hired the HBO director and crew who had done those fights.
- Producer Todd Lieberman revealed that rapper Eminem, fresh off the success of 8 Mile, was originally the first choice for the role of Micky Ward, but Eminem turned the offer down. Matt Damon was also considered for the role.
- To add to the film's realism Wahlberg refused a stunt double and took real punches during the fight scenes, which resulted in him nearly getting his nose broken a couple of times. He also dedicated over four years of training to obtain a physique convincing enough to play Ward.
- The film received seven Academy Award nominations and won two, Best Supporting Actor for Bale and Best Supporting Actress for Leo, making it the first film to win both awards since Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986.
- The film has Ward on a losing streak coming into the 1988 Mike Mungin fight. In reality Ward was 18-1 and on a four-fight winning streak when he fought Mungin, and his four-fight losing streak actually took place in 1990-91.
