|
Movie Review - Million Dollar Baby (2005)
|
|
|
|
|
(What this rating means)
|
|
| |
|
| Director: |
Clint Eastwood |
| Starring: |
Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Hilary Swank |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for violence, some disturbing images, thematic material and language) |
| Length: |
137 minutes |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Tagline: |
None. |
| Studio: |
Warner Bros. |
| Website: |
Million Dollar Baby |
| Release: |
January 28, 2005 |
|
PLOT
|
Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) is a boxing trainer who has one exception - he doesn't train girls. Frankie's
little motto doesn't seem to bother Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank) though. She's determined to convince Frankie
to train her. She's just a double-shift waitress with a white trash family, and boxing is the only thing
that makes her happy. If she doesn't have boxing, then she has nothing. Maggie stays late at the gym,
saves her money to buy her own speed bag, and refuses to walk away despite Frankie trying to tell her that
at 31 she's too old to begin a boxing career. Ex-boxer and long-time friend of Frankie, Eddie "Scrap-Iron"
Dupris (Freeman), takes an interest in Maggie and begins to give her tips and helps to soften Frankie up a
bit. Will Frankie be able to take Maggie to the top? Oscar-worthy performances and first-rate storytelling
ensue.
|
|
JOHNNY'S TAKE
|
Masterpiece. Engrossing. Heartbreaking. All words that describe a Johnny Betts movie review. But they
can also be used to describe Clint Eastwood's latest project - Million Dollar Baby. Make no
mistake about it; I'm a huge Eastwood mark. So you might be inclined to believe that since I'm a fan,
I'm just gonna praise whatever he does. That's not entirely true though. The man has an Oscar resting
comfortably upon his shelf, so he certainly doesn't need my validation.
Clint is no stranger to critical success, but for my money Million Dollar Baby is a better movie
than his other two most heralded movies - Unforgiven (which I felt was overrated and one of
Clint's weaker Westerns) and Mystic River, Clint's Oscar-hyped wristslitter of 2003. They all
have their merits, but Million Dollar Baby has a fascinating combination of deliberate, gripping
storytelling, great acting, sparse but well-placed music, engaging drama, and subtle humor that the
others don't have. Oh, and the boxing in the movie is very realistic, nothing fancy or over-the-top.
Speaking of boxing, the word alone is enough to turn off some viewers. One of the first responses I get
whenever I start explaining the plot to this movie is, "Oh, I don't like boxing movies, so I probably
won't like it." One thing you need to understand is that this is not a boxing movie. It's a movie about
human relationships that just happens to use boxing as its backdrop.
There's the relationship between Frankie and Scrap. Frankie worked as a cut man for Scrap many years ago,
and twenty-three years later, Frankie still feels responsible for Scrap losing sight in his right eye after
a particularly brutal fight. But their friendship has remained strong. Clint and Freeman display such a
great chemistry that you actually feel like they've been friends for over twenty years. Well, I did at
least. They sound like an old married couple at times, arguing over silly things like the holes in Scrap's
socks or Frankie's less-than-jovial demeanor. The dialogue is funny and crisp without being overly eloquent.
Exactly what you'd expect from a couple of guys who've been around boxing their whole lives.
Then there's the father/daughter relationship between Frankie and Maggie. Frankie has no relationship
with his actual daughter - as evidenced by the fact that the letters he sends her every week always return
un-opened and marked "Return to sender." We never really find out why his daughter hates him so much, but
I assume his involvement in the boxing business kept him from being around her, and she hasn't forgiven
him. Maggie's dad died when she was young, but Frankie reminds her a lot of him. Once he starts to train
her, Frankie is really the only person she can depend on, and they form a strong bond that both were
previously missing in their lives.
Hilary Swank, as Maggie, is impressive enough to finally make us all forget about The Core. I didn't
expect to like her character very much, so I walked away pleasantly surprised. Her southern accent just
sounded too fake in the trailers, but I got used to it, and I was shocked to find myself caring about
Maggie. Note to Hilary: KEEP YOUR HAIR LONG!
I like the movie's straight-forward message about how sometimes in life, having the heart and desire
to do something isn't always enough. It's like Frankie says, "Show me a fighter who's nothing but
heart, and I'll show you a man who's waiting for a beatin'." It's not a lesson a lot of people want
to hear, but it's just the kick in the pants that a lot of people need.
I wasn't as pleased, however, with the movie's ending. And this is something that might cause a
lot of people to be really upset. I can't say much because I'd give too much away, but I can say that
a couple of characters make some decisions I don't condone. But it's done in a way not to be preachy.
A character is even advised against taking a certain course of action, and then the audience is left to see
what choice is made.
In a recent interview, Clint was asked about the controversial ending, and he replied, "I'm just telling
a story. I don't advocate. I'm playing a part. I've gone around in movies blowing people away with a .44
magnum. But that doesn't mean I think that's a proper thing to do." That's honestly the best way to look
at it.
Is the ending depressing? Sure. Do I have my own ideas of how the movie could've ended on a better
note? Yep. But that's life. Reality isn't always pretty, and this movie does a good job of
capturing that realism, regardless of whether we agree with certain decisions or not. You can choose
to put a situation in God's hands, or you can attempt to solve it on your own. You just have to be
willing to accept the consequences of your decision.
|
|
ODDS & ENDS
|
- Based on a short story from the collection Rope Burns by F.X. Toole, a former "cut man" (a man who
patches up boxing injuries in between rounds).
- Johnny Betts' grandfather has met and talked with Morgan Freeman at horse shows in Mississippi.
- Johnny Betts' other grandfather used to be a boxer. Boxing legend Jack Dempsey was a referee for one of
his fights on the undercard at Boston Garden.
- Freeman's voice-over work gives the movie a strong The Shawshank Redemption feel.
- Hilary Swank trained for 3 months with world-famous boxing trainer Hector Roca.
- Swank did all of her own fighting in the movie. No doubles were used. Eastwood insisted on this so that
the boxing would look as authentic as possible.
- Johnny Betts is an amateur kickboxer. He and Mr. Shade have had some great sparring sessions.
- Swank (Best Actress) and Eastwood (Best Director) won Golden Globes for this movie.
- Million Dollar Baby received 7 Oscar nominations.
- Clint Eastwood was in Heartbreak Ridge with Mario Van Peebles who was in Gang in Blue with
Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
|
|
MAMA'S APPROVAL
|
This isn't for everybody. There is some harsh language (including one f-bomb and a couple of GD's), and some
adult themes are explored that may be too much to expect children to handle. There's also a good chance many
of you will disagree with some choices that the characters make.
|
|
TRAILER COMPARISON
|
I always thought the movie looked interesting, but I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Hilary Swank's southern
accent wasn't nearly as bad as I originally feared.
|
|
THE GIST
|
Million Dollar Baby is simple at its core - a movie that uses great performances to do a great
job of storytelling. If you're a fan of anybody in the cast and you can handle something with a
less-than-cheerful ending, then Million Dollar Baby will keep your interest. Just make sure
you bring some Kleenex. But if you prefer to walk out of a movie whistling and tapping your feet,
then I suggest looking elsewhere.
Oh, and guys, if you happen to notice a salty liquid substance forming around the rims of your
eyes, then don't worry too much. It's like the Memphis Tigers football coach (Tommy West) says, "Men
don't cry, their eyes sweat." Keep that excuse handy, and you'll be fine.
|
|
