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Movie Review - Cinderella Man (2005)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Ron Howard |
| Starring: |
Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, and Craig Bierko |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for intense boxing violence and some language) |
| Length: |
144 minutes |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Tagline: |
When America was on its knees, he brought us to our feet. |
| Studio: |
Universal |
| Website: |
Cinderella Man |
| Release: |
June 3, 2005 |
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PLOT
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Once a promising fighter, James J. Braddock's (Crowe) boxing career derails after a series of injuries. His
wife (Zellweger) is relieved because she always feared that boxing might one day lead to his death.
However, the adverse effects of the Great Depression put Braddock in danger of losing his children. When given
a second chance at boxing, it's an opportunity he can't refuse. He starts training again and sets his
heart on working towards a chance to fight Max Baer (Bierko) for the championship. A truly inspirational film
ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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You want my review of Cinderella Man? Here you go: Best. Boxing. Movie. Ever. Period. And yes, I'm
aware of the existence of Rocky. As entertaining as Stallone's little slugfest is, Cinderella Man is
just better on all fronts - better acting, better drama, and more realistic boxing. I've boxed before, and I can
say with a straight face that this is the most realistic boxing I've ever seen in a movie. Plus, and this is the
best part, it's a true story. And quite an amazing one at that. Why don't we have cool sports stories like this
anymore?
Nowadays all we have to cheer for are overpaid athletes who are willing to sacrifice an entire season of their sport
if they don't get a few million more bucks to line their pockets. But James J. Braddock? He fought for something
more. He fought to put milk on the table, to put a little more distance between his children and the street, to
have a better way of life.
You want drama? Cinderella Man effectively shows us the impact of the Great Depression on the average
family. This was a time when unemployment hit a record high of 15,000,000 people. Once Braddock is unable to box,
he is left hoping and praying for a one-day pay at the docks. When he can't pay the milk bill, his wife has
to dilute what little they have with water to stretch it as far as they can.
Then when Braddock doesn't have the money to pay his power bill during the snowy winter, his wife sends the children
to live with her sister, breaking a promise Braddock made to his son. Desperate to get his children back, Braddock
is forced to get government assistance and to beg everybody he knows for $20 so he can pay his bills and get his
children back.
Braddock's family is struggling, so you can feel how huge it is when he's offered the chance to make $250 as a
last-minute fill-in against the 2nd-ranked contender. You want excitement? Well, this is when the boxing side
of the story really kicks in. Braddock gets a very surprising knockout, he gets his boxing license back, and he
starts training to compete in some elimination fights for the championship.
Everything builds up to the championship match against the feared Max Baer, a man who is so brutal that he has
killed two men in the ring. And he's not nice about it either. He mocks Braddock, talks about taking care of his
wife after killing him in the ring, and reminds James that "people die in fairy tales all the time."
Once the championship fight starts - whew. Not to sound too corny, but it really does feel like you're at
the fight. When the crowd in the movie starts chanting "Braddock, Braddock, Braddock," I wanted to start chanting
also. But I didn't because that'd just be too gay. But I was completely pulled into the action.
"But Johnny, I'm not a huge fan of boxing! I doubt I'd like a boxing movie."
But it's much more than a "boxing movie." Neither Stephanie nor my sister are boxing fans, but they both
loved it. I'm not a huge boxing fan either, but if boxing had fighters and stories like this these days
then I certainly would be. So yes, in my opinion it's the best boxing movie I've ever seen. But quite simply
it's just a great movie with a great story that happens to be told within the confines of the boxing world.
This is as upbeat and inspirational as Million Dollar Baby is depressing.
After watching Cinderella Man you'll leave the theater feeling good about life and being inspired to try to
accomplish something yourself. For a brief second you might toy with the idea of getting your fat, chubby little
legs off the couch and doing something with life other than watching movies and playing video games all the time.
It may be a fleeting fancy, but the spark will be there.
My 20-year-old cousin walked out of the theater claiming, "I want to be a boxer now." Mr. Shade and I both want
to start kickboxing again. And everybody was doing an Internet search afterwards to find out where we could read or
watch more about the real-life James J. Braddock. And you know what? I'm even man enough to admit to the following
conversation after the movie:
Johnny: So, did you cry?
Amber: I got teary-eyed when he was telling his children bye.
Steph: Me too.
*Stephanie and Amber stare at me for a few seconds*
Steph: Well?
Johnny: What?
Amber: Come on...
Johnny: All right, fine. My eyes started to perspire just a little. You happy?
Hey, don't look at me like that, guys. I have feelings just like everybody else. Like Brian's Song, this is
one of those movies where you can get a few goosebumps, get a little misty with "eye sweat," and still keep your
man card afterwards.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Max Baer is the father of Max Baer Jr. who played Jethro on The Beverly Hillbillies
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- Nepotism continues to run rampant as it does in all of Ron Howard's movies. Brother Clint plays a
referee and father Rance is a ring announcer.
- If Russell Crowe doesn't get the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal then I'll be convinced the Oscars are
rigged. He shows once again why he's the best actor of his generation. In fact, I think we'll see several Oscar
nominations - Best Movie, Best Director, and I hope Paul Giamatti gets a nod for Best Supporting Actor.
- I've seen the movie twice, and I enjoyed it even more the second time. I was originally gonna give the movie
4.5 marks, but after being thoroughly engrossed a 2nd time I've decided to give it a full 5 marks.
- Craig Bierko's a pretty funny guy, so I was surprised to see him in a role as a heavyweight boxing champion.
Catch him on Conan O'Brien sometime - he makes for a good interview.
- There is one brief scary moment where Braddock is walking into Madison Square Garden. The crowd is silent
until one man stands up and yells, "You can do it!" My heart froze, and I feared that the camera would
zoom in on Rob Schneider's goofy face. Thankfully, we were spared this potential atrocity.
- Filming was delayed for about two months when Crowe dislocated his shoulder while training.
- To be as authentic as possible, Crowe only used the training methods that were around back when Braddock
boxed. He admits that this is the most physically demanding role he's ever had.
- Bierko ripped an abdominal muscle and fractured his wrist during filming. Coincidentally, Johnny did the
same thing while writing this review. That's just how intense it was.
- Russell Crowe was in The Quick and the Dead with Gary Sinise who was in All the Rage with Josh
Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Some of the language (a lot of G-d**n's) and some of the boxing violence make this a bit much for younger kids
to handle. It's probably most suitable for teenagers who think they can handle a boxing drama.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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Not too many surprises here. After watching the trailer I was expecting an emotionally gripping drama, and that's
indeed what I got.
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THE GIST
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If you're in the mood for a truly inspirational film with great acting, and you don't mind a little boxing action
then Cinderella Man is a must-see.
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