Million Dollar Baby (2005)

As Good as the Hype

I finally saw this the other day for the first time and have to admit it lived up to its hype. Million Dollar Baby is a great film and Hillary Swank is a magnificent actress. Her performance in these frames was as strong as it was in Boys Don't Cry. As far as her relationship with Eastwood's Dunn goes their bond was totally believable as a union between a daughterless father and a fatherless daughter. I know that some of my fellow conservatives were sickened by the ending. Frankly, I wasn't. While I would not have done what the main character (Eastwood) did, his actions did not ruin the film for me. I typically don't judge theatrical releases by how much they reflect my own core beliefs though. Regardless of values, Million Dollar Baby deserves its reputation. It is a superior drama and--luckily--not a melodrama. July 23, 2008

A masterpiece about the cruelty of social survival

This film is beautifully strong but immensely cruel. The strength of the film holds in one single fact: anyone can always win one battle provided they are trained properly and they are managed properly. That does not mean they will win the world title but they can always try and win one victory. How far will they go, no one knows, no one can tell. Luckily, otherwise there would be no meaning in trying. But the cruelty is all contained too in one fact: the end of such a fight for the top title is lost sooner or later if the contender does not learn how to cheat with life and the rules or to be aware the other one may cheat with life and the rules and this contender must be ready to resist these attempts. And that's just what the "boss" forgot to teach his fighter. And she was the victim of the viciousness of the champion who did something wrong for the third time causing severe damage and eventually death. If you just concentrate on these two elements this film is a masterpiece that deserves all the prizes it got. If you want to go slightly farther and sort out other elements like the heavy reference to God and religion, you will fall into something very trite, like the priest advising the "boss" not to meddle with the fallen fighter's desire to die because then he, the boss, would not be able to come to terms with himself. This answer is so narrow-minded, so egotistic in the name of God. I respect the divine command not because I respect or fear God, but because my disobeying this command may make me unhappy. On these sides issues and questions Clint Eastwood is definitely less clear. But the cruelty of this boxing against all people involved in the business is mastered in an admirable way. You win or you die and if you lose you have to die, at least die away into non-existing.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
July 19, 2008

Worst Move I Ever Saw

Despite the fact that Hillary Swank is a beautiful, super-talented actress, this movie was the worst I have ever seen. I say this because of the terrible evil that it is clearly trying to promote, namely the murder of anybody who is physically handicapped in some way. The mind of the character played by Hillary Swank was completely intact, yet instead of taking loving care of her, Clint Eastwood took advantage of her physical helplessness by murdering her. This is left-wing propaganda at its most shameful. July 11, 2008

Not my cup of tea

For me, this was sort of a waste of 2 hours. Some of the things were predictable, but I wasn't sure how it was all going to play out. I just couldn't connect with the characters all that much. I have really tried to like Hilary Swank as an actress, but for some reason I just haven't found her in a role that seems to capture an emotional captivating role.

Clint Eastwood is always great, and so is Morgan Freeman they were great in this film. This was a touching story, but I feel it could have been more gripping for me with a different leading female, or some background music, I don't really recall any, and I just watched it last night.

There are many positive reviews, and to many this probably was a good film, I just didn't feel it.

At least I just had it as a rental from Net-Flix. June 2, 2008

Terrible!

I am very unhappy with this film. It's blatant in two ways: first as a rip-off of the excellent and very well received (and awarded) Girl Fight, and even worse that it was written solely to get an Oscar nomination by purposely pandering to the emotions of the audience. Part way into this, I said to myself 'this is ridiculous... could they make it any plainer, and I will bet that they will kill her off to get even more emphasis'. Well, all that happened. You have Morgan Freeman narrating it, his voice and Clint's are both gravely - oddly so like they made them even more so. And they both appear to be 80 years old so it's hard to believe they'd still be running a gym - much less punching the bag and the occasional young tuff that gets in the way. Then there is the Opponent in the climatic fight scene, who sneered like she was bad stuff (and was also black - and German - apparently you can't have one without the other if you want to make someone into a real bad stuff). Then, and this is true, just when I thought they had positioned her badly enough, I said to myself "wait, there is more, I bet she is a criminal or an ex-hooker. A minute later she was introduced as an ex-hooker and later proved to be a criminal when, after losing to the Million Dollar Baby, she sucker-punched her, causing a fall and a permanent breaking of her neck (confined to a bed the entire rest of the film, until she dies).

And product placement - unbelievable: at one point Morgan Freeman (the disabled but wise janitor at the gym) is asked by Clint (the owner) why he persists in using one brand of bleach cleaner to clean up with - the scene is shot from behind the bottle which takes up half the screen. The answer "because it's the best and it smells good".

So we find out Baby was raised dirt poor. They have to rub it in by saying she was a waitress from age 13 and this is her "last chance". Well, of course it's her "last chance", that's how these films work, although we never do find out why this is all she has going for her (smart, a hard worker, pretty - why?). Then we find out she is from Missouri, so just as I was saying to myself "I bet she has a hillbilly Mother and family", all of a sudden there they are. Her Mother is 312 pounds, curses like a sailor because her daughter gave her a house to live in, and of course her teenage pregnant sister with a stereotype (if being pregnant and a minor isn't stereotype enough) trash (and threatening) boyfriend. Well, by now I'm groaning and ready to throw up. At least the Family was well cast!

Oh, and by the way, Clint's character development included his interest in reading Gaelic, and his going to church every single day for 33 years (never resolved, except apparently his wife left him at some point way back then). And his priest swears at him from frustration. I can understand that part.

As I said, she dies, but I was wondering just how bad they were going to make it when I suddenly realized how she'd actually die. She is in a hospital, can't move, bed sores everywhere (graphically shown), loses a leg to gangrene that set in (unnecessary part of the plot, she was in bad enough shape already), paralyzed for good. Then I realize that Clint will kill her to put her out of her misery. That is exactly what happens. So predictable it was awful. After he kills her (unplugs the machine - predictable, and shoots her full of adrenaline - unpredicted) he goes to a restaurant and gets a slice of lemon pie for himself. Nobody saw him do the deed, so he can just leave to get a price of pie like he did once with her. Darned Clint is trying to get the tears flowing out of his audience, when all the audience wants to do is leave. Speaking of which, once we finally got there, there was no clapping and only silence.

Keep in mind here I'm not moaning over this just because she dies. I don't expect a do-good film where she becomes world champion and lives happily ever after (or even loses it all and then regains it all like Rocky Balboa). But, the film was so awfully predictable. I don't believe it was well written, I don't believe it was well directed. At one point where the rough old gravely Clint has refused to take her on as her Manager but coaches her with a couple of tips on how to throw a punch (leading to the inevitable moment when he does take her on as her Manager), he and she are both smiling (for the first and only time in the film) - and you realize they are smiling at each other's acting and that a really poor take was used.

Arrrgghhhh.... what a waste of money!!! And this darned thing had better not get any of the Oscars which Clint and Morgan have so cleverly positioned it for!

Why does the otherwise excellent Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood (both who have done so much better) feel they can pander to us to get an Oscar? April 26, 2008

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