Cinderella Man (2005)

This movie is not about boxing

This movie is about how we coped with the so-called Great Depression. The frustration turned to anger turned to controlled violence within the ring striking out against the injustices and hurt, caused by the greed of a generation of money makers.....Sound familiar? This is an homage to my parents and to some of your grandparents. Their struggle, symbolized by fighting Jimmy Brodick, is what made us what we are today. Family and Faith above all however imperfect. Time to put the gloves back on brothers and sisters..... August 3, 2008

This is a wonderful movie, but....

...please don't believe any part of the portrayal of Max Baer in this film. I would have given this movie 5+++ stars (and I normally hate boxing movies!), but it loses at least one star due to the gross vilification of Mr. Baer.

The film pays well-deserved honor to Jim Braddock, a decent man who achieved so much after losing basically everything during the Great Depression. Awesome boxing sequences, and Oscar-worthy performances by Paul Giamatti and Russell Crowe, make this film a classic, one that is definitely worth seeing over and over again.

But in the name of fairness, after viewing this movie, take some time to research the REAL Max Baer, the "Livermore Larupper!", you will be inspired yet again by another great sports legend! July 21, 2008

Damn Good Boxing Movie

Top-notch stars, notable director, unlimited production dollars = good movie. The movie is a true-life story of a boxer overcoming all odds during the depression. The acting was great, as expected, but it felt like just another boxing movie, no twists -- no turns. We've already seen this story in Rockies 1 through 14. Although, I must add that the acting and production are MUCH better in this movie. July 21, 2008

One of the best Boxing movies ever made

Why CINDERELLA MAN was a boxoffice disappointment is unfathomable. It is, without a doubt, one of the best films about the sport of Boxing ever made (and that includes RAGING BULL), and is a very affecting chronicle of the United States during the Great Depression. Director Ron Howard, who had wanted to make a Depression era film since he was very young, came to the project via his relationship with Oscar winner Russell Crowe. They had already made a fine film in A BEAUTIFUL MIND, and Crowe for several years had been trying to get a biopic about the Boxer James J. Braddock, Jr. off the ground. The project had gone through many hands, but the movie gods were smiling the day that Ron and Russell joined forces. Russell had a great affinity for the story of Braddock, who had gone from just missing the brass ring to the depths of poverty to one last chance at the Boxing spotlight, a true Rocky story. And Ron's father, the great character actor Rance Howard, had actually listened to Braddock's fight with Heavyweight Champion Max Baer on the radio on June 13th, 1935. Ron was well acquainted with the story of Braddock.

The original screenplay was by Cliff Hollingsworth, who had done extensive interviews with Braddock family members and a mountain of research. This was given to Ron's stalwart friend and script doctor Akiva Goldsman for some rewriting and polish. One thing they heightened was the character of Max Baer. Baer was the first Boxer to really go with the Showbiz aspects of the sport, as Muhammad Ali would many years later. Although Baer did indeed have a fearsome right hand and a long reach, he did not "gleefully" kill two men in the ring and brag about it. On the contrary, when the accidental death of Frankie Campbell occurred (go to Max Baer's website for the full story), he stayed with Campbell's wife at Frankie's bedside and wept "tears the size of golf balls". To the end of his life Baer grieved over Frankie Campbell and helped the family every chance he got.

For the purposes of the film, and to give the story an antagonist to focus on, the bout with Baer became a David and Goliath tale. To be fair, Baer did not train as he normally would have for this fight (again, a Rocky parallel), and Braddock did, as though his life depended on it. Truth be told, his life, and the lives of his family, did indeed depend on this fight.

Back to the film as a whole: the recreation of Depression era America by Ron, his Cinematographer Salvatore Totino (with whom he has worked on every film since THE MISSING), his Production Designer Wynn Thomas and the entire team is stunning. Every detail is meticulously right, and after visiting the world of CINDERELLA MAN, a young person who has only read about the Great Depression in school will gain keen insight into this dark era in our recent history.

The performances are heartfelt and Oscar-worthy, from Renee Zellweger as James Braddock's wife and eternal love Mae, to Paul Giamatti as Braddock's stalwart and abrasive manager Joe Gould, to Craig Bierko as Max Baer, to Bruce McGill as Fight Promoter Jimmy Johnston, to Paddy Considine as Braddock's friend Mike Wilson (a character composited from many friends of Braddock to give the film a focus). And, of course, Russell Crowe puts his heart and soul into personifying James J. Braddock, disappearing completely into the role. A wonderful, deep performance. Every note is perfect, the film well constructed. Bear in mind that, as you have no doubt gleaned from the review so far, CINDERELLA MAN is not a documentary. It is a drama based on fact, with as much fact as possible in the story, but still a drama. If you watch the actual footage of the pivotal Baer-Braddock fight (which is included on the Collector's Edition DVD set), it is not as overtly dramatic as the film fight, but you can see how the two Boxers truly punched, pummeled, and wore each other into the ground.

CINDERELLA MAN is, at its core, a solid, emotional, affecting drama about one family's survival against what looked like overwhelming odds. It deserves to be seen and experienced.

The DVD itself (the Collector's 2 Disc Edition) contains, on Side One of Disc One, the feature, letterboxed in its full 2:35 to 1 aspect ratio, with solid blacks, beautiful sepia tones and rich 5.1 sound. You may want to listen on headphones to get the true ambient aural experience. It also includes THREE separate commentary tracks, by Ron Howard, by Akiva Goldsman, and by Cliff Hollingsworth. All three are well worth your attention, especially that by Director Howard. On Side Two of Disc One are deleted scenes with commentary by Ron Howard, five documentaries on various aspects of the making of CINDERELLA MAN, and a plug for Kodak disguised as a "Gallery", as well as bonus DVD-ROM features. On Disc Two, we have additional deleted scenes with commentary by Howard, six more documentaries (including a fascinating featurette on the training of Russell Crowe and the fighter cast) and the actual Baer-Braddock bout, as captured on film in 1935.

CINDERELLA MAN is most deserving of this exhaustive presentation. Some of the bonus features are available on the standard DVD release, but, to this reviewer's mind, the Collector's Edition is the better of the two. It comes in a presentation box with a nice souvenir booklet and photo cards to sweeten the pot.
July 13, 2008

Not just another boxing movie

A powerful movie from beginning to end, Cinderella Man has a strong story with a wonderful cast, of which some of the best acting is done by Paul Giamatti. This is not just another boxing movie - no, it's more, with drama of tough times during the Depression. I'm not a big fan of boxing myself, but I have t say that the action here is very balanced and entertaining. What also makes Cinderella Man so unique is the way the camera moves around and films. It portrays movement, moods,and the setting perfectly.
Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, and Paul Giamatti act for all their worth, and this movie directed by Ron Howard fully deserves to be praised. June 29, 2008

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