Man is this movie good. It's rare that I can feel this way about a movie that everyone calls the best this and the best that. Usually, that turns me right off from wanting to see a movie like this. But this movie sucked me in on a few counts. David O Russell is a director I'm genuinely interested in. I own almost all of his movies and love Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees. I love the work he gets out of Mark Wahlberg that very few others can ever get out of him. I love Christian Bale, when he's all in on a role (unlike Terminator, which sucked on all counts, except for Chekhov). I love Darren Aronofsky, and he was circling this film after The Wrestler and stayed on as an executive producer.

Yes there is a happy ending, but the whole movie, you're just watching it happen. It's like a documentary. It sucked me in completely from the opening reel when Wahlberg and Bale are walking down the street with the camera crew filming Bale for Eklund's HBO "movie." Their faux fight on the streets cracked me up from the very first shot in this movie and it pulled me in. Wahlberg took me with him on his role. He wasn't playing out of his comfort zone, especially if you've seen Wahlberg in movies directed by Russell. They know each other and they work immensely well together.

But this is a role made for Bale as Eklund. Slimmed down to disgusting weight, thinning hair, bad teeth, and just an overall shitty human being, Bale knocks it out of the park. Again, it's expected from someone with this level of commitment to his craft, but it's still a sight to see.

This is a feel-good movie that doesn't force you to swallow it's moral or swallow some Hollywood message. It's telling a real story in a real way and it takes you with them as you roll with the punches, as you work to lose the weight and get into fighting shape. I defy you not to want to go into the streets, running down them as you shadow-box as you leave the theater. This movie has something for everyone and will win you over right from the get-go.