The Fighter

Last night I finally went and saw the movie 'The Fighter' at the local theater. It's a film about two brothers, both boxers, Micky Ward and Dickie Eklund. The film is set in my hometown of Lowell, Mass. Micky and Dickie are both uncles of one of my best friends growing up, Joe C. It was strange watching other people playing my friend's grandmother, and even his mother, who was one of the "sisters" in the movie.

The film starts with camera crews following Dickie around Lowell in different crack houses. Dickie was under the impression that they were making a film about his boxing comeback, but it was actually about the rise of the crack epidemic in Lowell. The name of the documentary is 'High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell'. I remember when this film aired on HBO, and how pissed off the family was about it. It's said the film crews actually gave Dickie crack for the sake of the film. It was pretty fucked up.

The movie goes on to tell the story about Micky's boxing career and his brother's (and trainer's) struggle with crack cocaine. Micky is faced with having to make tough decisions about his career when he his told that he should drop his brother as his trainer due to his problems by his girlfriend and potential promoters. This of course doesn't go over well with the tight knit Irish family.

Overall, I think the film gave a pretty accurate portrayal of Lowell in the 90's. It was, and still is, a tough working class city. I think the acting and the accents were pretty spot on. It was cool being able to go into a movie theater in Tahoe and be taken back to my hometown during a time when I was teenager, and actually knowing the family that was being portrayed. As we were watching the movie, my friend turned to me and said "Now I now why you swear so much."

My Mother Joanne and Micky Ward.