Trailer Wednesday: The Fighter, The Tourist, The Dilemma

A trio of “The ____” titles doesn’t scream originality, but these Holiday/Winter releases ought to make some waves come wintertime anyway. We start with an awards season boxing drama, which is always worth a look. Mark Wahlberg stars in the true story of “Irish” Mickey Ward for director David O. Russell (“I Heart Huckabees”). Then we go more mainstream with the sure-to-make-money combo of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in “The Tourist.” Last, it’s a Ron Howard rom-com? Yup, “The Dilemma” stars Kevin James and Vince Vaughn.

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The Fighter

Normally, boxing films are cliche-ridden, but you have to like the talent surrounding “The Fighter.” Say what you want about Wahlberg, but alongside Christian Bale and Amy Adams among others, that’s pretty good. Bale appears to have transformed himself again as Wahlberg’s troubled brother/trainer, going more “Machinist” than “Dark Knight” as far as body type. He seems poised for a Best Supporting Actor nomination and Adams will probably get one someday if not for this.

The story centers around once-disgraced heavyweight boxer Mickey Ward and how he was able to turn things around and win a title. Russell’s involvement doesn’t scream award season, but he’s certainly well respected and the buzz has been strong for quite some time over this film. It hits theaters Dec. 10.

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The Tourist

Sadly, it look like “The Tourist” is more like “The Tourist Trap,” i.e. come to the theater and gawk at our A-list stars Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie even if you’ve seen this story a dozen times before (and at least twice this year). After the box-office failures this summer of “Killers” and “Knight and Day,” we get another romantic action thriller only the actors are better and the receipts should prove it. Originality, however, seems unlikely despite Depp playing a slightly more naive character.

The film comes from German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who helmed the Oscar-winning Best Foreign Film “The Lives of Others.” It gets a timely release on Dec. 10, so it will square off against “The Fighter.”

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The Dilemma

“The Dilemma” didn’t have any reservations about bypassing the Christmas movie season. Ron Howard’s rom-com about a man (Vince Vaughn) who must decide whether he’s obligated to tell his best friend (Kevin James) that his wife (Winona Ryder) is cheating on him will come out January 14, where it has a better chance of standing out.

The film looks fairly run-of-the-mill. The real dilemma might be deciding whether Ron Howard’s attachment makes this somehow magically worth your time.