ROTTEN TOMATOES: Aronofsky to "Fight" with Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon

Aronofsky to "Fight" with Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon

by Scott Weinberg | March 28, 2007

Last seen together in Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg will reunite for Paramount's period piece boxing drama "The Fighter," and guess who'll be directing? Darren Aronofsky.

Here's how IGN Movies describes the project: "The film follows boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward's (Wahlberg) rise to the Light Welterweight world championship and his relationship with his drug-addicted half-brother and trainer Dickey Eklund (Damon).

Great. Now we know how it ends. The folks over at The Hollywood Reporter also (wisely) note that this "straight narrative" piece will represent a general departure for Aronofsky. His previous flicks ("Pi," "Requiem for a Dream," and "The Fountain") were a bit more 'experimental' in nature. Either way, I wanna see this one. I'm a sucker for a good boxing movie.

Source: IGN Movies, The Hollywood Reporter

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(1-15 of 15 posts) | Reply

Mikeal420 writes:
on Mar 28 2007 07:08 AM

it may be departure from his experiemental films, but to go ahead and do a story thats been done so many times before- the fantastic boxar struggling with his personal demons-, he might as well make a gritty WWII drama, those have been done death and yet still remain entertaining

It sounds too much like Cinderella Man on drugs to me

(Reply to this)

crushin russian writes:
on Mar 28 2007 08:24 AM

He might have been pressured to do something mainstream because of the box office failure of The Fountain.

(Reply to this)

narcissusbleh writes:
on Mar 28 2007 08:39 AM

Mmmmm.

(Reply to this)

renodc writes:
on Mar 28 2007 10:01 AM

I wouldn't expect anything solid on Aronofsky's involvement until they actually start shooting. He jumps from project to project about as sporadically as James Cameron.

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Matanuki writes:
on Mar 28 2007 10:01 AM

Sounds good, guys. A good boxing movie is usually host to some of the best 'sport as life' metaphors, so I'm always interested if the ingredients seem tasty. And with Damon, Wahlberg, and Aronofsky, so far so good.

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StickyKiwi writes:
on Mar 28 2007 10:42 AM

[b]style over substance yet again?[/b]
Should Aronofsky end up shooting this film, I truly hope the script is developed enough to 'coexist' with his visual style. That's my biggest complaint of his previous films: they are shot beautifully (ok, so Pi is a bit rough & rustic, but it was still stylized in various parts), but with under-developed and weak scripts. Without Ellen Burstyn's preformance, Requiem would have long been forgotten as just enough addiction movie.

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on Mar 28 2007 11:15 AM

In reply to this comment (#859535)
I"m not sure if I agree. Perhaps it's style, but not necessarily over substance. I think Aronofsky is still working on reconciling the gap between concept an execution. His films have substance, but the flaw is in the, as you say, "rustic" way these ideas have been portrayed. This vehicle should offer an opportunity for honing.

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Reeven writes:
on Mar 28 2007 05:32 PM

I absolutely love Aronofsky, so consider me sold.

Unless he bails this movie too.

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EmmG389 writes:
on Mar 28 2007 06:46 PM

I don't know how anyone can forget Requiem for a Dream. You must have seen some really f-ed up movies. At the risk of sounding cliche, this movie kept alot of people from doing heavier drugs, since the only people who saw it were doing drugs in the first place.

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dastly75 writes:
on Mar 28 2007 07:16 PM

hmm Aronosfsky is my favorite director but I'm not real thrilled on this story, but who knows how it'll end up

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wilkiedriver writes:
on Mar 28 2007 07:34 PM

So, I'm guessing there wont be a two-headed dildo in "The Fighter", right?

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GreenBastard writes:
on Mar 28 2007 09:37 PM

If enough of us tell them we want a two-headed dildo in the fighter they are going to have to listen damn it!
It would work great in the final fight!

(Reply to this)

kalabus writes:
on Mar 28 2007 09:48 PM

Damon looks more like Mickey Ward than Wahlberg.

They have the roles mixed up.

(Reply to this)

Gottlieb writes:
on Mar 29 2007 08:46 AM

[b]perhaps[/b]
Aronosfsky is good, i mean he did R.F.A.D real good. The fountain...not so much eh...but how is he going to deliver this movie, I guess we'll find out, he might very well know what he is doing

(Reply to this)

zooman writes:
on Jun 02 2007 11:37 AM

In reply to this comment (#859535)
[b]I agree that aranofsky himself hasnt shown that mu[/b]
I agree, Aranofky himself hasn't shown much substance over style, but Requiem for a Dream is no example.

First it was based upon Selby's book full of "substance". who I think also co wrote the screenplay before he died. Then, althought Burstyn's character (it is the fictional CHARACTER itself first, but with the obvious help of the actress's exellent portrayal) is heartbreaking indeed, the movie has the right amount of scenes, the right rhythm, the right acting, the right experimental cinematography that aids the movie instead of distracting from it, the right music that even in its repetitiveness has a purpose and impact, to be extremely memorable with or without burstyn. People came out of those theaters in shock not only thinking about Bustyn's portrayal, but thinking about what the movie as a whole left them with.

Now the fountain yes, I liked it but it is more style than substance. It is a story that apparently they decided they wanted to make not becauese they had something to say to the world, but because they had an urge to do a product of the type: fantastic and extravagant and poetic sci fi. They took the tree of life which is attractive material and from there they should have developed whatever came out to do the TYPE of movie they wanted. With the fascinating legend of the tree of life, what should it be about ? well of the obsession with life of course, how could it be represented? well with terminal disease in a love story, add to that medieval fantasy directly related to the tree and metaphysical sci fi and you have the looks of the movie they might have had in mind stylistically before getting to any substance. So, the story in itself seems an excuse to make such a visual feat in the sci fi fantasy realm which in my view is a lack of artistic vision which is the one that brings the so called "substance". He seemed to be more interested in creating a type than in saying something. Yet, to his credit, he did manage to do original visual poetry even if about a topic and a conclusion that are trited.

Anyway, I'll still look forward (with less excitement than I looked forward for the fountain, as I am no boxing movie fan) to this movie...

(Reply to this)

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