Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Boxing biopic mixes inspiring story, mature content.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Fighter
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 10 parent reviews
Based on 18 kid reviews
Kids say this boxing biopic delivers an inspiring story intertwined with mature themes such as drug addiction and family dysfunction, making it more suitable for teens and older audiences. The film features strong profanity, graphic boxing scenes, and powerful performances that resonate emotionally, despite the intense content that may not be appropriate for younger viewers.
- inspiring story
- strong profanity
- drug addiction
- emotional performances
- mature content
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
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?
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?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 10, 2010
- On DVD or streaming : March 15, 2011
- Cast : Amy Adams , Christian Bale , Mark Wahlberg
- Director : David O. Russell
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Paramount Pictures
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 115 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language throughout, drug content, some violence and sexuality
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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