Cinderella Man [Region 2]
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Movie Reviews of Cinderella Man [Region 2]
Movie Review: The Moose Hole - Howard Truly is a 'Cinderella Man'
Summary: 5 Stars
In the last presidential election campaign, detractors on the left side of the political spectrum in a last ditch effort to discredit the incumbent Bush Administration honed in on what they believed was poor management on the president's part of the state of the United States economy. This of course glaringly ignored the effects of the September 11th attacks upon the stock market and the reality that the actions of the president have no direct effect, positive or negative, on the direction in which the nation's economy is heading toward. That aside however, Democrats continued to moan over the country's 5.5 percent unemployment rate, which roughly came out to eight million citizens without work. The way in which John Kerry and the rest of the DNC were selling the idea to the American public you would have thought the nation was in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, in spite of the numerous European nations, the favored sons of the left, willing to do anything for an unemployment rate like we have. How quickly it is forgotten what the Great Depression was truly like and that it was not FDR's `New Deal' but rather our involvement in World War II which brought America back from the brink.
The story for Cinderella Man, based on the actual life events of lightweight boxing contender James J. Braddock in the midst of the Great Depression, may be tough for some people to swallow at first. True, there are quite a few notable moments of sheer cliché but this is an Oscar-bait picture after all, having originally been slanted for December 2004 prior to Crowe's should injury in training practice which would delay production, so this is hardly unanticipated. And yes, the portrayal of James Braddock, confined not merely to Crowe's engaging performance but his words and actions as dictated from the screenplay as well, reflects an almost saint-like quality about him which some may find hard to accept. But the movie's affectionate and inspirational message essentially requires the lead figure to be like this, particularly when everything which surrounds appears to collapse in front of him due to his failure as a father and a provider to his family, or else it does not make it very heralding to its audience.
The commanding performance delivered by a rather toned-down, though still quite potently viable, Russell Crowe in the lead role of James J. Braddock, the believed down and out lightweight boxing contender who arose in the Great Depression to be an inspirational figure for the entire country on the brink of collapse. Though Crowe is likely to be remembered in cinematic history more for his fierce and combative role in Gladiator, more pastoral and emotionally charged performances in films like A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man, both with Ron Howard directing, will earn further respect, not only among his Hollywood peers but amidst the discerning public as well. Renée Zellweger, whose star in Hollywood has truly been rising since her breakout performance opposite Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire with Academy Award nominated roles in the hit musical Chicago and Cold Mountain, carries the emotional baggage of the film with prodigious flare. From beginning to end, Zellweger's homey demeanor which exemplifies Mae Braddock's character thoroughly absorbs us into the emotional intensity present in the Depression-era environment of the feature film. Especially moving was the scene in which Mae steps outside to cry after tending to her sick son as her two other children watch on. This establishes that the burden created by the Great Depression fell not exclusively on the part of the husbands who had to overcome their failure to provide for their wife and children but also on the wives as well who did everything in their power to keep the household afloat only to find it was not enough.
Paul Giamatti yet again, which in this case is far from what one would describe as a terrible thing occurring, brings a level of extraordinary brilliance to the role of Joe Gould, James Braddock's long time manager and friend, which is astonishing. Sadly Giamatti failed to capture an Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category for his critically acclaimed role in the independent comedy Sideways last year but had the film been released as originally planned he certainly would have had a legitimate shot at the Best Supporting Actor nomination for this film. He exhibits the splendid balance of levity and endearment that audiences would come to expect from a person as close to Braddock as Joe Gould was in real life. Though the Motion Picture Academy lost a tremendous amount of confidence when it brought aboard comedian Chris Rock to host the last Academy Awards presentation, they will lose even more should Giamatti not be nominated this year. Craig Bierko, a rising performer who has had few lead acting support roles such as this one, brings just the right amount of emotional intensity and loathsome anxiety to the role of Max Baer, James Braddock's opponent in the championship fight. This allows audiences to detest Baer for his spiteful behavior but at the same time admire and fear his strength. He is portrayed as a bit of a pretentious clown but a fierce and sometimes lethal opponent when he needs to be within the ring. Baer does not demonstrate this directly to the audience onscreen but several of his actions, particularly his request of Braddock to bail out of the fight, suggest an element of fear for James Braddock. This fear stems from an apprehension to relinquish the power status he has accumulated to a boxer he views as inferior and washed-up, but remains a legitimate threat to his title.
The only genuine setback as far as casting is concerned would have to be the character of Mike Wilson, a friend James Braddock makes while working shifts on the dock, portrayed in the film by Paddy Considine. It is not necessarily the performance, which is actually quite exceptional given the limited material he had, but rather it is the analysis of the character or lack thereof. Granted, the focus of the film is on James Braddock and his triumphant return to boxing in the midst of the Depression but more time could have been spent on his relationship with Wilson or further the audience's knowledge of what he was up to. At one point in the movie he mysteriously disappears with no one knowing exactly where he is and then all of sudden, as Braddock goes in search of him in New York City, we find him lying on the ground in Central Park dying. The exact cause of his death is never fully explained, though it can be assumed that he tried to rally a communist uprising and when the police intervened he was then trampled by a horse. This felt like an absolute waste of a character, though certainly little, if any, real time was lost within the storyline from him.
Overall, director Ron Howard's vigorous one-two deliverance of an emotionally gripping true story of Depression-era boxer James J. Braddock and Russell Crowe's competently driven performance unanimously makes Cinderella Man the single most impressive feat this year. What distinguishes Howard's vastly superior Cinderella Man dramatically from the rather deceiving quality of Million Dollar Baby, this year's Oscar winning film for Best Picture directed by the famous Clint Eastwood, is that Howard's project does not pose itself as something else. The film is not marketed exclusively for its boxing scenes only for audiences to realize upon opening that the boxing is a small integral part in the movie. It does not start off as something only to throw a sucker punch to the face and switch in the opposite direction in the last one-third of the feature. Cinderella Man portrays a simple yet meaningful message of hard-work, optimism, and the American spirit without having to force it down the throats of audience members. Advertising for these inspirational dramas set against the Great Depression, specifically Seabiscuit and Cinderella Man, attempt to portray figures such as James J. Braddock as the solitary individual who brought America out of the Depression, which is a statement neither historians would accept nor is it a message that the filmmakers intend on directly portraying. Though they can not take credit for ending the long standing economic crisis, it was the entrance into World War II following the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 CE which did that, Seabiscuit and James J. Braddock, the coined Cinderella Man, can be attributed to keeping the enduring spirit of the American people alive and promoting the `never say die' attitude which has helped this nation both in the good times and the bad. In short, hands down the best movie of the year so far is Cinderella Man with unquestionable Oscar nods going to Crowe, Giamatti, Zellweger, and Howard ... if the film can hold out long enough to be remembered after December 2005.
Summary of Cinderella Man [Region 2]
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 ShannonSimilar DVD Movies
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