Credit: 20th Century Fox
Sun 23 August 2026 12:30, UK
July 23rd, 1991, is one of the most important days in music history, marking the release of one of the most earth-shattering, culture-shifting, humanity-redeeming albums ever made: Music for the People by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
Mark Wahlberg and his gang of loveable weirdos united the world through song, bringing us classic tracks like ‘Make Me Say Ooh!’ and ‘Bout Time I Funk You’. Having single-handedly solved every crisis on Earth with his dope ‘rhymez’, he bid farewell to Hector the Booty Inspector to embark on a new mission: to conquer the world of film.
On the whole, his efforts have been, shall we say, lacklustre. From comedies so unfunny they should be banned by the UN to ridiculous action ventures that make Fast & Furious look like Seven Samurai, you can always rely on Marky Mark to do something dumb. As much as it pains me to say it, not everything he’s done has been awful.
From Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights to Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, the most Bostonian man to ever Boston is capable of great things every once in a while. If he were more consistent with his projects, then I’d think twice about making fun of him so much. There are some who would argue that Wahlberg’s best movie is The Fighter.
Directed by the controversial David O Russell, this 2010 biopic tells the story of ‘Irish’ Micky Ward, a boxer and Wahlberg’s character. Alongside his brother Dick Eklund (played by Christian Bale), Ward literally fights his way out of a working-class life and right to the top of the boxing world.
On paper, Wahlberg was the perfect choice. Not only did the two share a similar background of also growing up in Massachusetts, but he had a pre-existing relationship with the former light welterweight champion. “I was such a huge Micky Ward fan,” the actor told CBS while promoting the film, “I mean, God, you know, the name Micky Ward was to me, like the name Larry Bird, just a local sports hero”.
Wahlberg took the role extremely seriously, to the point where it became an obsession. “There were certainly times where I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning, you know, my trainer would ring the bell,” he continued, “I’m like, ‘I better get this movie made’. You know, ‘Kill somebody if I don’t get this movie made’.”
Further reading: Cutting Room Floor
The Fighter turned out even better than Wahlberg could have imagined in his wildest dreams. It grossed $129million on a budget of between $11m to 25m, with many critics heralding it as the best boxing movie since Raging Bull. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, with Bale and Melissa Leo winning their respective supporting actor categories. Wahlberg wasn’t nominated for his performance, but as a producer on the project, he shared the movie’s ‘Best Picture’ nod.
He might not have taken home a statuette that night, but his involvement in The Fighter’s success cannot be understated. Once again, I hate to praise the guy, but it’s the truth.
