Melissa Leo as Alice Eklund-Ward in The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress at the 83rd Annual Oscars (2010)
Notable Quote:
“I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are or why you’re talking.”
Synopsis:
As he tries to figure out his next career move, boxer Micky (Mark Wahlberg) is torn between loyalty to his family, brother Dicky (Christian Bale) and mother Alice (Melissa Leo), and to his new girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams). This is why you should never mix personal and business!
The character:
First things first: my friend pointed out that Alice has the exact energy (and hair!) of Real Housewives star Dorinda Medley and now that’s all I could see. For those who are sadly missing out on the joys of Bravo reality, what we mean by this is that Alice is often a cruel emotional terrorist, and that only makes me love her more. Alice aims most of her ire at Micky’s girlfriend Charlene: the notable quote is my favorite dismissive line of hers, but I’m also a huge fan of her use of the nonsense phrase “MTV girl” as a slur. I also have to mention that Alice is the mother hen to a brood of daughters that she sics on anyone she doesn’t like (aka Charlene).
But in addition to hating outsiders, she’s horrible even to her own family. She’s one of those people who loudly espouses family loyalty but actually means “my children should do whatever I want them to, no questions asked”. She plays favorites with Dicky, willfully ignoring his intense addiction, and lavishing her attention on him. Together, the two serve as a gruesome twosome in running Micky’s career for him: there’s an amazing shot where he dares to speak casually with another manager for a moment, and the two of them watch skeptically from across the room. And she also blatantly hates her husband. Ugh, I love this miserable woman.
The performance:
Prior to this film, my sole experience of Melissa Leo was London Has Fallen, which was shockingly not a great showcase of her acting abilities. Luckily, The Fighter lets her show off, and to my great delight, she’s excellent! I often talk about actresses who bring charm and charisma to their characters, but Leo is tasked with the exact opposite. Alice is unpleasant and off-putting and Leo handles this well, imbuing her with an amazing slithery energy. She’s always pinching up her face, angrily puffing smoke. Leo shapes Alice into a striking, unique villain.
With that being said, I also appreciate that Alice has some humanity as well. Leo has a level of deep compassion that makes me feel like Alice genuinely loves her children and wants to do right by them, she’s just not that great at parenting. Also, I usually don’t get too deep into extracurriculars, but I can’t miss the opportunity to bring up Leo’s iconic self-run Oscars campaign, which would be incredibly embarrassing if she hadn’t won, but now strikes me as hilarious and ballsy. Get that award, girl!
The movie:
Our previous experience with a David O. Russell directed film in this column was Silver Linings Playbook, which I hated, so I was not looking forward to this movie, but surprise, I loved it! It has many of the same traits as Silver Linings: everyone is constantly cranked up to an emotional ten, and there’s so much going on, but in The Fighter, that all adds up to a movie that’s entertaining and dynamic, rather than irritating. The characters are excellent: interesting, and often captivating, even while being unlikeable. The tone is also great: dark without being depressing, funny without being glib, and hopeful without being sentimental. Even if you don’t love a boxing movie (I certainly don’t), I’d recommend checking this one out!
Was the Oscar deserved?
Yes, I’m so glad the Academy considered her!
