Leap Year

Directed by: Anand Tucker

Written by: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont










The premise is remarkably simple and saccharine: Hot-to-trot city girl decides to follow her boyfriend to Ireland to propose to him on leap day.  Along the way, she meets a down-and-out country boy who teaches her that she doesn't really want what she thinks she wants.  She is conflicted, then, about who she truly loves, has an epiphany, and they all live happily ever after.

Given that synopsis, you'd predict that this movie would be a gagger.  And, to an extent, it is.  But, it wasn't as horrible as I had thought it would be.

The movie had two major weaknesses holding it back.

The first: a plot so transparent it could be used as glass.  This is a necessary evil in the rom-com genre, but it definitely made the movie feel longer than it needed to be because you could see every event in the plot coming several minutes ahead of time, and every minute in the interim between the moment you saw it coming and the moment it actually arrived was generally irrelevant.

The second: Amy Adams.  This movie could have been better with just about anyone - including an inanimate cardboard cutout - in the main role.  Whether it was a flaw in the writing of the character or in the way Adams tried to portray her (or, most likely, a combination of the two), there was very little to like about the main character.  As an audience in a movie like this, we're supposed to root for the main character to find true love.  But in this case, she was so absolutely not-endearing that I found myself hoping that there would be a twist in which the male lead would just abandon her on the side of the road.  (Alas, it didn't happen.)

This was a pretty standard rom-com, and it definitely was held back from being rated even "decent rom-com" by these major issues.  I don't feel like spending any more time re-living this film here.

The Fighter

Directed by: David O. Russell

Written by: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson (screenplay)

Written by: Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Keith Dorrington (story)

In the world of boxing movies, eventually they must all be compared to "Rocky." Against "Rocky," though, most other boxing films are bruised and battered before being knocked out. "The Fighter," though, manages to match up with "Rocky" - pound for pound - and might be a true contender for the crown of Best Boxing Film.

"The Fighter" tells the true story of boxer Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and his contentious relationship with his family, especially his junkie brother Dick Eckland (Bale). Ward's mother (Leo) seems to only care about reviving Eckland's boxing career, and uses Ward's talents to mainly promote Eckland. But as Ward's career starts taking off, his girlfriend (Adams) warns him that his family is only holding him back.

Obviously - based on critical reception - the film's cast was amazing. Everyone - including Amy Adams (about whom I'd had my doubts) - was completely believable as the real person. Bale, shedding weight to match his character's lifestyle, is superb. Leo perfectly nailed the nasty, manipulative mother role. Even Wahlberg managed to play a strong but passive character, showing how torn he was between his loyalty to his family and his opportunity to live his dream.

What makes the movie great is that the it portrays not just a boxing drama but a family drama. Everyone has a junkie brother - some literally, most figuratively. Everyone struggles to win their mother's affection. Everyone sets out to carve their own path. Everyone must choose between their family and their spouse. These struggles are not merely struggles of contemporary society, but struggles that all humans face. These problems can be traced back to the early biblical stories in Genesis. (Cain and Abel competing for God's favor nicely parallels Ward and Eckland competing for their mother's affection.) Mickey Ward's story is only a medium - a vessel - for the battles we all face within ourselves and with our families.

And, to boot, it's got some great boxing scenes.