Brynne Valla--Student Choice #1

I watched the film "The Fighter" this weekend because of all the rave-reviews it got at the Oscar's. It did not disappoint me. The film is based off a true story about a family in Lowell, Massachusetts, involved with boxing. The youngest son, Micky, is attempting to become a professional boxer. He studies under the knowledge of his crack-addicted brother, Dicky. Micky's mother and step-father manage his fights but to no avail. He continually loses fight after fight and grows increasingly dissatisfied with his life.
After his brother goes to jail, Micky's girlfriend encourages him to find a new trainer and management team. He does so, and begins winning his matches. His confidence and happiness grow immensely, despite the rift it has caused within his family. In one critical fight for a chance at the title, Micky gets pummeled. He had gone into the match with a plan, but it wasn't working. He remembered advice his brother gave him from within jail and used it against his opponent. The advice proved to be sound, and Micky won the match.
The thing I found most poignant about this moment was that Micky's brother, the guy who was always late to practice because he was getting high and who was so selfish, became Micky's savior. Dicky saved Micky not only from physical defeat from the other fighter, but also allowed him to maintain his dream at pursuing a title. Even from behind the prison's bars, Dicky was able to save his older brother. For me, this made up for all his previous failures and all the times his heart was not dedicated to training his little brother.
This film is a remarkable one, not only because it is based off a true story, but also because it gives the viewer hope. Micky's career finally gained speed and he was happy. Additionally, the rift between the family lessened after he won that fight. It is amazing that the crackhead brother, the least dependable person in the whole movie,is what saved Micky from defeat in every sense of the word. In this way, I see Dicky as a weird sort of Christ-like character. Although he hadn't lived a blameless life before he redeemed himself and his brother, he was the only one who could bring healing to a hurting person.