The Fighter (2010) - Filming Locations

Let's Talk - Movies
Episode 26: The Fighter (2010) - Filming Locations

Jason Connell discusses his experiences of visiting the Massachusetts filming locations of the award-winning movie and much more.

Synopsis: Based on the story of Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness.

Director: David O. Russell
Writer: Paul Tamasy (Screenplay/Story), Eric Johnson (Screenplay/Story), Scott Silver (Screenplay), Keith Dorrington (Story)
Cinematographer: Hoyte Van Hoytema
Composer: Michael Brook
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams

Original Episode: S01E26

Recorded: 06-28-22
Studio: Just Curious Media
https://www.JustCuriousMedia.com/

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Transcript

Jason Connell: 4:36:09

Whoa, just curious. Welcome to Just curious media. This is let's talk movies. And I'm Jason Connell on the show. Today I'm talking about the fighter 2010 Filming locations. Now I'm coming off two episodes prior, where I visited different locations from two different movies. One was funny farm, I was up in Vermont, went to some locations. And then in the bedroom, I was visiting Maine and visited a couple of those locations as well. So this movie, The Fighter was filmed in Massachusetts. And I currently live in Massachusetts. And I knew a couple of these spots were around, but I finally went there and visited them. So I can talk about them here. But before that, I'm going to kind of break down the makers of this movie, some backstory, it's incredibly well acted, directed. There was Oscar nominations all over some Oscar wins. I mean, it's that type of movie. And I remember being in the theater, and being hooked the moment the opening sequence came on. I'm a huge fan of the director. But this one may be top of the list top of the heap for me now I can revisit it all the time. And let's jump in. So the synopsis for the fighter is based on the story of Mickey Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness. And yes, it is based on a true story. I already love it. Yeah, we didn't have a shortage of boxing movies. I wasn't even excited by the notion of another boxing movie being a huge fan of Rocky and then all these other boxing movies come out and to be good. They really got to separate themselves from the pack Million Dollar Baby. Sure. Oscar winning movie. Well, in my opinion, this should have coulda woulda won the Oscar as well back in 2010. But it did not unfortunately. Now the director of this movie, David O. Russell, I'm a huge fan. He did movies like spanking the monkey Three Kings I Heart Huckabees. Oscar nominated for Best Director for the fighter 2010. Also Oscar nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for silver lining playbook. 2012. Also a fantastic movie. For that same movie. He was Oscar nominated for Best Director. And if that's not enough, Oscar nominated for Best Original Screenplay, American Hustle, another fine feature in 2013. And that same movie, he was Oscar nominated for Best Director. So wow, he needs a win. That's for sure. And again, I think it should have been for this movie. Now. The fighters written by Paul thomassie Screenplay story credit, Eric Johnson screenplay story credit Scott silver screenplay credit Keith Durrington. Story credit a lot of writers in there but check this out. Oscar nominated, Best Original Screenplay, the fighter 2010. So bravo to the writers room, because another Oscar nomination. Now the cinematographer is Hoyt von Hoytema. hope I'm saying that correctly. He did movies like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Interstellar and Oscar nominated for Best Cinematography for Dunkirk in 2017. So he's worked with Christopher Nolan on a couple of occasions, another good director to collaborate with. Now the composer was Michael Brooke hated movies like Into the Wild the vow Brooklyn. Now that cast Mark Wahlberg plays Micky ward. Of course, you probably know Mark Wahlberg from Boogie Nights Three Kings I Heart Huckabees, the last two were able to Russell films. Now Wahlberg was Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actor The Departed an incredible film by Martin Scorsese. 2007 also Best Picture that year. And he was Oscar nominated for Best Picture for the fighter in 2010. Because Wahlberg was a producer on this movie, go figure. And of course there's Christian Bale one of if not the best actor we have today he plays Dickie Auckland, the older half brother to Mickey ward. And he's in movies of course, like American Psycho Laurel Canyon, the Batman trilogy by Christopher Nolan. Bale also Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor for The Fighter 2010 Oscar nominated for Best Actor in American Hustle 2013 also a David Russell film, Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actor in The Big Short 2015 and Oscar nominated for Best Actor in vice 2018. And bail is incredible in this movie, you really believe you're looking at a drug addict with his best days behind them living in the past, trying to help his brother constantly getting in his own way. It's a tour de force performance. I mean, just watch the movie again to see bail, it's worth it. Then we have Melissa Leo plays Alice Ward, and she is Mickey and Dickies mother and she is also incredible in this. She's a movies like flight Oblivion prisoners, Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actress in frozen river. And 2008. Also the movie where Jennifer Lawrence was discovered, and Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress in vellfire 2010. In May I just say Leo has never been better than in this movie. She's chained smoking, she's always jabbing at her flock of daughters dragging them around. She's Mickey's manager for part of the movie. It's just wow, acting at its finest. And then we have Amy Adams who plays Charlene Fleming the love interest to Mickey and kind of pulls him away from the family so he can have success essentially, or have more success. And of course, she's in movies like Catch Me If You Can the Muppets arrival now, no surprise a lot of Oscar nominations for her to Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Junebug 2005 When she was really discovered. Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actress in doubt. 2008 Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Val fighter right here. 2010 amazing. She's incredible in this movie. Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the Master 2012 Paul Thomas Anderson shout out great film, Oscar nominated for Best Actress in American Hustle 2013. So she has been paired up with bale before and David Russell, and Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actress and vice 2018. Again with bail. So you can just see the high caliber of these actors. I mean, I'm just listing four of them and look at this dossier on them. It's incredible. Now there is one additional award for this movie Oscar nominated for Best Film Editing. So the movie it was released December 17th 2010. I must have seen it like opening weekend or opening a week. I started the Lowe's fleece three theater and again was floored now, this episode is about the filming locations. The movie is set in Lowell, Massachusetts because Mickey and Dickie are from there in real life. Dickie Auckland was known as the pride of law, and he held the USA New England welterweight title twice between 1979 and 1983. And once even fought Sugar Ray Leonard, and his half brother Micky Ward was the former WVU champion. Now, as for low, it's known as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, and it's about 25 miles outside of Boston laws, a pretty good sized town, crime rate in that town is higher than most towns, maybe all of them in Massachusetts. It's very diverse. There's an old historic area, there's some charm there, there's a few museums, some parks, but there's also just an old area in which they filmed this movie. So I drove to that specific region, because the opening sequence in the movie shows Wahlberg and bail in law on Hastings Street. And then there's the HBO crew filming them, while the heavy plays how you're like, man, now, it's just an amazing sequence. And they're walking up and down the street. It's like you can kind of tell the locals just come into the scene, it's this great little montage to really get the movie going, I can watch that sequence over and over and over again. So I'm visited this very spot, because they were doing like road work. Leading up to the opening sequence. Wahlberg does that if he's not boxing, he's like paving roads. And they even show Hastings Street there. So I stood right there, got some shots, everything looks the same. The establishments look the same, because this movie was probably filmed in 2009. So it's not too far away from when I was there. But it does look the same. And it was really something special just to kind of take that in, like really understanding these different parts of Massachusetts. So also in Lowell, there is Rama holes West and gym in which they go into, and I visited that as well. Now it's in a very industrial area. And I was like I was trying to find that exactly. So I took lots of photos, but there was a truck out front with a Rama his name on it. So I knew I found it. But if you didn't know that Jim was there, you would just assume it's an old rundown building. That's just how rugged and dilapidated it was. And it shows in the movie when you look at it. I mean, that's really it. They'd be exterior. Now. Once they go in the gym. I'm not clear if they cut somewhere else, because I know there are a couple scenes filmed in Los Angeles, but I definitely know they use the exterior there. And also, which I didn't go by was Dickey's crack house because he is addicted to crack and that's in law as well, but it didn't visit that one. So that was really fun to see law to explore. ransa to feel like I was on set in the fighter. I got some good photos, and I will post that on our YouTube channel. And in another seeing Mickey takes Charlene to see a movie in Lexington, Massachusetts, which is where the first shot of the American Revolutionary War was fired. And to be exact. It's literally a Frisbee throw away from this location, which is entitled Lexington venue. Now I live much closer to where this was filmed. Then law. I can literally walk there ride a bike there. It's super close. This is such a charming area. It's so historical. I mean, Paul Revere came up the street to warn everybody the British were coming. They have reenactments every year, Lexington and Concord, which is the town adjacent is where the American Revolutionary War began. The British troops marched in from Boston, and then they were ambushed all the way back to Boston when the Americans galvanized and stood up to the British. so awesome that it was here. I love it. And coincidentally, I recently saw both Top Gun Maverick and Downton Abbey, a new era there. And it's a smaller theater. It's just a two screen. It's old school. It kind of reminds me of the Los Felice three if you're familiar with that venue in Los Angeles, where I held my United Film Festival for many years there in the VISTA, which is now owned by Quentin Tarantino. But in the movie, they're going to see Bell a puck, this foreign film, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1992 was a Spanish film, and it started young Penelope Cruz. So he's taking he being Mickey's taking Charlene to see this movie and a few towns away because he doesn't want to be seen in law, because he lost a fight. And as I was all jacked up, so he was hiding laying low. But she takes issue to this thinking. He's trying to hide her, you know, and there's this great sequence and they pull up on Massachusetts Avenue, which is right there. And it looks exactly the same today with the same local shops like the pharmacy, the barber shop, etc. And I like this little exchange they have and Charlene is like, what are we doing and Richie Rich Lexington come to this theater a lot. And Mickey's like it's a good theater. They got good movies here. He's trying to keep it on the DL. She wants to know why they're going several towns away. And she's absolutely right. Richie Rich Lexington it is very nice. So Charlene and Mickey actually go in see the movie, there's a couple shots of Mickey falling asleep. You know, he's got a hard day's work, working on the road watching the foreign film thinking it's what Charlene is gonna like. But the shot really is done. The interior is at the theater because having been there I recognized it. And then they accident actually kind of make out a Massachusetts Avenue by the car, which is great. But if you looked up on Massachusetts Avenue where they're facing, you'll see the famous Lexington Minutemen statue staring back at you, you know, the life size bronze figure of the colonial farmer with musket. And it's amazing. And we've seen it in history books, it's just right there. So it kind of blew my mind to see it as well. But beyond that, I actually spoke to the GM at the Lexington venue. And he shared the whole filming experience with me, which was super cool. And inside they have a framed movie poster of the fighter hanging inside the lobby along with a few newspaper clippings. But unfortunately the poster was not signed. Not yet. Anyway, I believe that should be done. So yeah, that's really these two locations were fantastic. I had no idea that they went to the theater in Lexington until I started researching it and law I knew about because Dickies nickname was the pride of law. But it was good excuse to go to law and see it up close and personal to feel like I'm connected to that opening sequence which I love. And I just highly recommend any and everybody to go back and watch this movie. It holds up look at the pedigree of actors, Director. Everything works the music, wonderful, wonderful movie. So without further ado, please enjoy the fighter. So thank you so much for listening and please be sure to subscribe to the let's talk movies podcast as well as the let's talk movies YouTube Live Channel. You can also really help us by giving the show a five star rating on Apple podcast. And for all you listeners that enjoy sharing your thoughts. 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