El luchador

Geez, another boxing movie! Yeah, Yeah, I know the story. Down and out guy gets a break and makes the most of it. He's fighting for his family, he's fighting for all those other hopeless people. Been there, done that.

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. This movie is about the best 140 minute I've spent in a movie theater since . . . . since . . . ., Oh, well, you get the picture. Better yet, instead of getting the picture, go see it.

Russell Crowe owns the character of James Braddock, the unlikely hero who makes the most of his second chance. He's a good fighter turned hack. Injury, bad luck and this thing called the Depression sends him down the drain.

His wife, Mae, played by Renee Zelleweger, wants to be his biggest fan, but the kids need a dad, the rent has to get paid and the money from boxing dried up along time ago. Her husband's courage is undoubted, but his nerve is killing her.

And then there's Joe Gould, played by Paul Giamatti.

A boxer by the name of George Cochan once told me his manager was the bravest man he ever knew, he was willing to pit his man (Cochan) against anyone. As a result, Cochan had his head handed to him multiple times by the likes of Jake LaMotta and other class middle weights of the Forties and Fifties. Gould, is that brave manager, if not literally, in spirit. He pits Braddock, out of shape and with one day notice, against the number two heavy weight contender. Regardless of the risk, it's a pay day needed by both Gould and Braddock.

The story, while familiar, is executed brilliantly. The camera work is both subtle and, in turn, spectacular. Craig Bierko, Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill and the rest of the cast give flawless performances.

Yes, been there, done that! And I'm ready to do it again for anyone who wants to go with me.

Before I get to whether or not I liked this film, the history teacher in me thinks it's very important to set the record straight. Although the film is pretty accurate when it comes to the career of James Braddock, it's very inaccurate in portraying his opponent, Max Baer. The champion, Baer, is shown as a sadistic jerk who killed two men while boxing--and really delighted in taunting Braddock about this. In the film, the evil and filthy-mouthed Baer tells Braddock to bow out of the fight, as he could be the next to die in the ring--and he really seems to LIKE tormenting Braddock's wife about this. In reality, Baer killed one man in the ring. It was a horrible accident which occasionally happens in boxing--one which apparently haunted Baer for the rest of his life. In fact, he helped pay for his dead opponents to get educations and looked after this family--hardly the act of a sadist. I understand why the folks who made "Cinderella Man" changed this in an attempt to create tension, but the story would have STILL worked great if it had just stuck to the truth. Plus, think of how this film affected Baer's relatives when they saw it. Max Baer Jr. ('Jethro' from "The Beverly Hillbillies") knew his father was not like this and I am sure it pained him to see him so badly misrepresented.

As for the NON-Baer parts of the film, they are great. The look of the 1930s is exceptional--much more realistic than you often see in films. Also, the acting is terrific, the film VERY engaging and the story of Braddock very compelling. Without the misrepresentation of Baer's in the story, I would have given this one a 10. Really....it's that compelling and they did a great job. The acting, direction, designs...everything but the writing was perfect.

By the way, this isn't so much a complaint as an observation. In this movie, like practically EVERY other boxing movie, there is hardly any defense (such as blocked shots) in the boxing matches--punch after punch that lands on the opponent. If fights REALLY were like this, they'd rarely go beyond the first round!

I also went to a sneak preview of this movie last night, and it was good enough for me to join this site and write my first review. It did start out kind of slow, but the complete rainbow of emotions was contained in this movie. There were parts that nearly made you cry. There were parts that made you laugh out loud. I could barely contain my excitement during the last 15-20 minutes of the movie, I just wanted to scream out loud I was so excited. When we left the theater there was a ~60 year old woman delicately shadow boxing on her way out the door. Her husband asked her, "Are you winning?" She said, "I'm going to have dreams about this movie tonight." This was a great movie, and I would recommend it highly.

My heart was firmly lodged in my throat for the last hour and a half of The Cinderella Man. Nobody does true-story heroism like Ron Howard, and few can do heroes like Russell Crowe. Though Howard fictionalizes his subjects, and does not pretend to make documentaries, he does accurately depict the feeling and the major points of his subjects.

Jim Braddock was a depression-era boxer who everybody thought was down for the count. Though there is a lot of boxing in this film, this is not a boxing movie, but rather his story and the story of the family that inspired him to fight back against prejudice and hopelessness, to rise to heights that would inspire a nation. Braddock is portrayed in a moving and powerful manner, with remarkable performances all around, one of the best scripts I can remember in recent years, and occasionally brutal action.

Those who have run into my reviews may note that this is one of my shortest. Please understand that I really don't think there's much to say about this simple, beautiful and very human story, besides - see it!

This is the best film Ron Howard has ever done. They really caught lightning in a bottle with this one. All the departments brought their A game to the table. I especially loved the editing and cinematography.

The cast is perfect and, under Ron Howard's confident hand, all give amazing performances. Russel Crowe's soulful performance puts him back in Maximus territory here and, boy, was this cat born to play these types of roles. Bruce McGill is in it (San Antonio, represent!!!) and that's always a good thing.

My only complaint (if it can be called that) is that the boxing sequences break no new ground. They are very reminiscent of the boxing sequences in Raging Bull. They are so well executed, however, that I quickly forgot about this small nitpick.

The script works on so many levels, it's not even funny. There is plenty of time devoted to character development and it pays off handsomely in the long run as we really care about Jim Braddock every time he steps in the ring.

All in all, Cinderella Man is a rousing, classy film that utterly satisfies.