Cinderella Man Review
by [email protected] (dnb AT dca DOT net)July 14th, 2005
CINDERELLA MAN
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 2005 David N. Butterworth
***1/2 (out of ****)
With Clint Eastwood's knockout "Million Dollar Baby" cleaning up at the Oscars(r)--not to mention the box office--earlier this year it should come as no surprise to anyone to see another boxing picture primed for summer's primetime. That time is officially here, of course, and so too is Ron Howard's "Cinderella Man," a contemplative biopic about legendary New Jersey prizefighter James J. Braddock, affectionately known as the Bulldog of Bergen.
What *is* a surprise is that this satisfying drama, which stars Russell Crowe as Braddock, Renée Zellweger as his wife Mae, and Paul Giamatti as his loyal trainer Joe Gould, isn't a hurried response to Eastwood's well-received fight film but a thoughtful and thrilling boxing drama in its own right. And in some ways I preferred it to Clint's "'Baby," with its emphasis on family, time, and place, from its stark depictions of Depression-era home life to its strongly formed relationship between Braddock and Gould.
While equally impeccably acted and directed, "Cinderella Man" feels less manipulative a motion picture, and more honest, with glory--not gloss--first and foremost.
The film opens in 1928, with Braddock at the top of his game, poised for a world light heavyweight championship title bout at Madison Square Garden. But then the Great Depression hits hard, and Braddock finds himself standing outside the dock gates with hundreds of unemployed others, hoping to be one of the few men picked for longshoreman work, or standing in line at the government relief office for a paltry welfare check in order provide for his wife and three young children.
Four years later, with broken bones as much an occupational hazard as broken fortunes, Braddock is pretty much washed up, a far cry from his career-defining glory days. He continues to slug it out in two-bit fights but has become an embarrassment to owner Jimmy Johnston (Bruce McGill), who finally decides to cut his losses and decommission the hapless fighter.
But an opportunity arises that provides Braddock with the kind of second chance few men ever get and the scene is once again set for a history-making--and literally death-defying--match-up with killer pugilist Max Baer (an intense Craig Bierko).
Crowe once again excels as the committed father and family man doing what he knows best, both on and off the ropes, with Zellweger's strong, compassionate Mae, who refuses to watch Jim fight, matching him round for round, point for point. And Giamatti is perfectly cast as Braddock's coach and confidante, throwing punches in Jim's corner in unison with his aging charge (a Best Supporting Actor nod for this fine actor, maybe?). Director Howard, who steered Crowe towards an Academy Award(r) nomination for "A Beautiful Mind," keeps the film compelling and spares no expense on the period details--it's a fine looking film, occasionally glamorous but mostly determinedly gritty.
Like those boxing stalwarts "Raging Bull" and "Rocky," and the afore- mentioned "Million Dollar Baby" before it, "Cinderella Man" has more than its fair share of busted, pulpy noses, bloodied, cut eyelids, and bruised, purple cheekbones, all choreographed in that swirling, Steadi- cam style that essentially affords us a ringside seat (whether we want one or not!). And it proves many times over that boxing continues to be the most barbaric--as well as the most cinematic--of sports.
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David N. Butterworth
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