| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | Cinderella Man (2005) |
| Director | Ron Howard |
| Writer | Cliff Hollingsworth, Akiva Goldsman |
| Lead Actor | Russell Crowe |
| Cast | Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Bruce McGill |
| Genre | Biography, Drama, Sport |
| Release Date | June 3, 2005 (United States) |
| Duration | 2h 24m |
| Budget | $88 million |
| Language | English |
| IMDb Rating | 8.0/10 |
CINDERELLA MAN
The light heavyweight boxer Jimmy Braddock (Russell Crowe) in 1928 asks his wife, Mae (Renée Zellweger), to watch a fight. She says no because “Every time you get hit, I get hit.” He wins and supports his growing family in style.
But in time, the Great Depression and losses in the ring result in Braddock working on the docks to support his family. Then his manager, Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti), arranges a fight that Braddock wins. Against all odds, he fights Max Baer, the heavyweight champion of the world in 1935 who has already killed two men in the ring.
It becomes one of the most memorable fights in boxing history. Damon Runyon (1880-1946), an American journalist and writer, dubbed Braddock “Cinderella Man” for his fairy-tale comeback, and the moniker stuck.
My first reaction to Cinderella Man was that, if the Academy Awards were held tomorrow, this film would sweep most of the categories. We never doubt that Russell Crowe and Renée Zellweger are Jimmy and Mae. Paul Giamatti deserves every award he can garner as Joe Gould. Director Ron Howard and co-writer Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) have waved their biographical wand once again to produce a stirring motion picture.
But I neither understand nor like the sport of boxing. Jim Wall, past editor and film critic for Christian Century, told me, “As a critic, I judge the boxing metaphor in terms of how it is used: to exploit the so-called sport (a sport which I also do not like) or to explore struggle and growth, and, in some cases, redemption and sacrifice.”
Filmmaker Charles Carner (Judas, Vanishing Point) said, “My brother was a boxer. Those who like it love it. Those who don’t, it can’t be explained to them. They call boxing ‘The Sweet Science’ because, at its best, it is not about who is physically stronger. It’s about who is smarter and has the greater heart.”
One of the film’s themes is the essential vocation of man, as defined by both nature and society. The Depression was a time when many men left their families, convinced they had failed as men. Jimmy Braddock gave them hope and dignity: He never gave up.
Cinderella Man is about the love of a man for his family. Some intensely human and moving parts, in addition to many brutal boxing sequences.
For more movies like CINDERELLA MAN (2005) visit Hurawatch.
Also watch: