Cinderella Man (USA) (Miramax/Universal/Touchstone) (2005) ***Year: 2005iMDB
Director: Ron Howard Cast: Russel Crowe, Renee Zellwegger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko
I was extremely reluctant watching another made for the Oscars boxing drama after Million Dollar Baby. However, I was pleasantly suprised to see that Cinderella Man keeps the gratuitous tears to a minimum, does not have a cartoonish "bad guy" opponent - yes he is quite "bad" and bends the rules of boxing yet within limits that can be easily accepted. Above all Cinderella Man tells a true story, that of depression time boxer and popular hero Jim Braddock. Sure, it's a classic Hollywood underdog story of the simple man that loves his family and would risk his life in the ring in order to provide food and maintain a home for his loving wife and children, but Russel Crowe manages to actually be convincing and show a little bit of range as the preoccupied husband that is more beaten down by life rather than other boxers.
Posted by TheCasualCritic on December 11, 2005 10:40 AM