‘Fighter’ great in, out of the ring

Fri., March 18, 2011

Philadelphia Inquirer

Available this week on DVD:

“The Fighter”: Based on the real-life career, and comeback, of welterweight champ “Irish” Micky Ward and the relationship with his wacko half-brother, erstwhile prizefighter Dicky Eklund, this roiling, colorful film is great in the ring, and outside the ring, too. Mark Wahlberg and Oscar winner Christian Bale are the pugilist sibs, fellow Oscar winner Melissa Leo their mom, and Amy Adams is Micky’s bareknuckle barkeep girlfriend. (1:54; R for language throughout, drug content, some violence and sexuality) • • • 1/2

“Hereafter”: Clint Eastwood directs this uncharacteristically sweet, loping meditation on death and what happens next, with Matt Damon, Cecile de France and twins Frankie and George McLaren as far-flung strangers whose paths converge in fateful ways. (2:09; PG-13 for mature thematic elements including disturbing disaster and accident images, and for brief strong language) • • • 1/2

“The Switch”: In this comedy of accidental insemination, Jason Bateman goes from a glass-half-empty guy to a glass-half-full one after he drunkenly makes an unsolicited sperm donation to best friend Jennifer Aniston. A comedy with serious ramifications, not least of which is the question, what makes a family? (1:40; PG-13 for mature thematic content, sexual material including dialogue, some nudity, drug use and language) • • •

“Waste Land”: Lucy Walker’s Oscar-nominated documentary offers an inspiring, insightful look at a world-renowned artist, Vik Muniz, and his years-long collaborative portrait project with garbage pickers in a Rio de Janeiro landfill. (1:38; not rated) • • • 1/2

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