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DVD Cinderella Man (Full Screen Edition)
Cinderella Man is a wholesome slice of old-fashioned Americana, offering welcomed relief from the shallowness of many summer blockbusters. In dramatizing the legendary Depression-era comeback of impoverished boxer Jim Braddock, director Ron Howard benefits from another superb collaboration with his A Beautiful Mind star Russell Crowe, whose portrayal of Braddock is simultaneously warm, noble, and tenacious without resorting to even the slightest hint of sentimental melodrama. The desperate struggle of the Depression is more keenly felt here than it was in Seabiscuit, and Howard shows its economic impact in ways that strengthen the bonds between Braddock, his supportive wife (Renée Zellweger) and three young children, and his loyal manager (Paul Giamatti); all are forced to make sacrifices leading up to Braddock's title bout against heavyweight champion Max Baer (Craig Bierko) in one of greatest boxing matches in the history of the sport. Boasting the finest production design, cinematography and editing that Hollywood can offer, this is a feel-good film that never begs for your affection; it's just good, classical American filmmaking, brimming with qualities of decency and fortitude that have grown all too rare in the big-studio mainstream. --Jeff Shannon
Review(s): DVD Cinderella Man (Full Screen Edition)
If it's just the two of you against the world...
With only a few, notable exceptions (The Missing, Willow, both of which he directed, NOT produced), Ron Howard once has again created a wonderful story on film with Cinderella Man. In 2005, filmgoers know that Howard will generally produce well-acted, well-directed, and enjoyable stories, and this is no exception.
Although a predictable, formula film, the "cinderella" story of down-on-his-luck boxer, James J. Braddock is inspirational. Braddock, portrayed by Russell Crowe, forced to battle for day work at the New Jersey docks during the throes of the Great Depression, must gather the will and courage to overcome his boxing injuries and reenter the ring. If he fails, he will not only be unable to put food on the table and keep the lights on, but he will also not be able to keep his family together. That's some profound motivation.
Braddock suffers one humiliation after another. The Depression forces him and his wife, Mae (Renee Zellweger) to move from a beautiful home in an upscale area to a basement apartment that is one step away from Hooverville. The family's electrical service is interrupted. Braddock must beg for work and even resort to asking for handout's from the boxing establishment. The final insult occurs when Braddock returns from the docks one afternoon to find that his children have left stay with relatives who can feed them and keep them warm until things turn around for Jim and Mae.
Oliver Twist does not have a thing on James J. Braddock.
Braddock's break occurs when his old manager and friend, Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti) offers him a payday to stand-in and take a beating from a championship contender because the original boxer on the opposite side card had to be scratched. Wearing another boxer's equipment into the ring, Braddock completes the improbably victory and finds himself on the comeback trail. Buoyed by his need to feed his family, Braddock wins fight after fight, although boxing matches are not the only things he wins. As the unlikely series of events unfold for Braddock that eventually lead to a title fight with Max Baer (Craig Bierko), Braddock wins the love and respect of the hundreds of thousands of families who were affected by the Great Depression.
If Braddock was the protagonist representing the hordes of soup-line Americans during the early 1930's, then the Great Depression itself was the antagonist against which Braddock fought. As he scraped and battled through the economic desolation, a new and more real conflict is created in the form of the championship bout with Max Baer. While the Depression is the villain during the early part of the movie, then Max Baer fills that spot during the second. Baer, effectively portrayed by Craig Bierko, represents the excesses that contrasts the poverty prevalent during that era. In essence, Baer's alcohol, sex, lifestyle, and arrogance is a metaphor for the "have's," while the audience clearly associates themselves with Braddock and the "have not's." It a cheap movie trick, but an effective one, (which the upper middle-class audience at the Upper Eastside-Manhattan theater where I watched the film for the first time bought with cash.) When Braddock defeats Baer for the heavyweight title, the audience stood up and cheered!
Solidarity!
Crowe and Zellweger as Mr. and Mrs. James J. Braddock are very solid, as was Paul Giamatti in a supporting role. A nicely acted, well-directed, and inspirational, if not a bit predictable, Cinderella Man is an enjoyable night at the cinema as well as a perfect rental for a Friday night at home with your sweetheart.
Especially, if it's just the two of you against the world.
I love this movie and/or the story! So touching and inspirational!
As an underdog, all I can say is that this movie, or should I say the story of Braddock the comeback boxer, is so inspirational, motivating and moving. In short, never give up. Get rid of your pride. Work on. Dont quit. Fight on for your family! Somehow someday a way will be opened to you. Some reviewers complained that the director had overdone to manipulate the audience. I am not an expert but I dont feel so. I just can say all acted well, in particular the coach and the wife. Excellent boxing scenes, good score. In short, dont miss it, and prepare for the next Great Depression. We dont know when it will come, though I hope not.
A Middleweight Champion!
I've never found the sport of boxing too exciting, never been to or "paused" on a match while switching through the stations. So it seems odd to me that there are so many great boxing films. Too be fair, there are plenty of boxing stinkers as well, but ROCKY, RAGING BULL and MILLION DOLLAR BABY were each top films for their year. And although it is early to say how CINDERELLA MAN will compare with other films for the remainder of the year, it is in itself an excellent entertainment.
Ron Howard (Opie) has proven to be a powerful filmmaker. Even mediocre efforts have had more success than others of their genre. Looking at three of his bests, APOLLO 13, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, and CINDERELLA MAN, it is intriguing to note how his films succeed without resorting to showing the `gritty' stuff that other top filmmakers use to formulate success. Especially strange in the case of Cinderella man, where half of the film is spent in dire poverty. But it is Norman Rockwell-esque poverty, it never becomes ugly and it avoids obvious political leanings.
The story of boxer James J. Braddock is an appropriate vehicle for any successful story. It's got the rags to riches element, overcoming adversity, the supportive wife and even the underdog overcoming insurmountable odds. The boxing scenes are expertly done but don't seem to offer us something we had seen before. But it is scenes like Braddock's appeal to former friends for a financial handout that cement the story for me. And Braddock's driving force to win is ultimately keeping his family out of poverty, or as he puts it to a group of annoying reporters, "Milk!"
Russell Crowe (GLADIATOR, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL) gives a performance that has lots to crow about. We can see the soul of this boxer. I cannot testify to his accuracy of imitation, but that would be irrelevant to my take on the film. Renée Zellweger (CHICAGO, JERRY MAGUIRE) is also excellent as the worried wife, always trying to find the best way to support her husband. In the same corner, Paul Giamatti (SIDEWAYS, AMERICAN SPLENDOR) offers some nice support and some necessary comedy in his role as Joe Gould, Braddock's manager. Even the children in much smaller role offer nice subtle performances. And of course Ron's brother Clint and his father Rance make their customary appearances.
The film clocks in at 2 hours 22 minutes so; some of the dramatic stuff may be too slow for younger viewers. But for the over 20 group, this film has a lot to offer and I look forward to its DVD release.
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