While his castmates Amy Adams, Christian Bale, and Melissa Leo got Oscar nominations for their roles in The Fighter (out this week in a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack from Paramount Home Entertainment) — with the latter two winning the trophy — Mark Wahlberg’s performance went unheralded. (He did, however, share in the film’s Best Picture nod as one of its producers.) But given the larger-than-life quality that Bale and Leo, in particular, brought to their roles, it seemed like an intentional call on the part of Wahlberg and director David O. Russell to let Wahlberg’s on-screen personality recede a bit so the spotlight could shine elsewhere. Still, he’s just fine in the film, and it inspired me to think of the sublime (and the ridiculous) turns he’s had elsewhere — and no, we’re not counting The Marky Mark Workout in either category.
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GALLERY: The Fighter, and the Best and Worst of Mark Wahlberg
