Parents' Guide to

The Fighter

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Boxing biopic mixes inspiring story, mature content.

Movie R 2010 115 minutes
The Fighter Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 11 parent reviews

lisamisa
lisamisa Parent of 11, 12 and 12-year-old
March 31, 2011
age 15+
I agree with most of the official review. Great movie for older teens! Review failed to mention that there was a prostitution sceen where it is implied that the woman is performing oral sex on a man in the front seat of a car.
doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
May 29, 2022
age 16+

Perhaps a little too real?

A lot has been said on the transformative qualities of Bale, Adams and Leo. All did a deliciously believable job, but I felt that Leo's job was flawless. The hair, the swagger, the pursed lips and the flippant attitude, acting tough and being vulnerable singing "I Started a Joke". Her performance is beyond convincing, it lives, breathes and emerges fully formed in her Dodge Dynasty that drags its way across the screen. The film's realness may be what puts some people off.
See all 11 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) is a hero of Lowell, Mass., having fought Sugar Ray Leonard and knocked him down. While Dicky -- who's now a crack junkie and can't really handle any serious affairs -- prepares for his "comeback," his younger brother, Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg), is on the rise. With the help of his new girlfriend, Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams), Mickey must eventually decide to leave his family behind to seriously concentrate on his career. Can he make it on his own, or does he really need the help of his unreliable older brother?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (11 ):
Kids say (20 ):

In his career, director David O. Russell has established himself as an outsider/maverick, but THE FIGHTER is a fairly conventional boxing biopic with very few surprises. Russell starts off using an interesting idea -- having an HBO documentary crew following Dicky around -- but halfway through The Fighter, the documentary is finished and the gimmick is no longer needed. After that, the movie becomes fairly standard.

But even though Russell can't find much of anything new to say here, he still makes The Fighter an emotionally complex drama that's filled with rich characters and tough decisions (as well as uniformly excellent performances). Not everything is clear or easy in this movie, and it's a good deal deeper and thornier than The Hurricane, Ali, or Cinderella Man, even if it's less masterful than Raging Bull.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the film's violence. How did the boxing scenes affect you? How does this kind of violence compare to what you see in big-budget action movies? Which has greater impact?

  • Did Mickey make the right choice by leaving his family behind to further his career? Should he have had to make that choice at all?

  • Was Dicky Eklund an inspirational character? Do you believe he actually knocked Sugar Ray down? Why would he live a life of drugs after such glory?

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