Cinderella Man (2005)

I had a very low expectation of this film since I heard that critics gave it a low passing mark. So when I saw it last Sunday I was happy to prove the critics wrong (once more!). Ron Howard who produced The Missing and A Beautiful Mind (also starring Russel Crowe) directs this story of a Depression-era boxer James J. Braddock who made an astonishing come back from the dead victory over light heavy-weight champ Max Baer (Craig Bierko). Saddled by financial problems and a broken right fist, James was reduced to being a laborer at the docks earning a few dollars barely enough to keep his family from freezing to death inside their shabby apartment.


When an opportunity knocked, James let it enter and embraced it openly. His wife, the ever beautiful Mae (Renee Zellweger of Down with Love, Chicago and Cold Mountain) was against his profession fearing that one day, James would come home inside a coffin. She did not attend any of his fights and forbade her children from listening over radio broadcasts of their father's fight. So every time James would arrive home, the family was in a tensed suspense, anticipating his winning but also fearing his lost.

With the help of Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti of American Splendor and Sideways) James was able to regain his boxing license and his chance to prove to the world that the Bulldog of Oregon and the Champion of New Jersey, the pride of the Irish and American people was still delivering solid punches and great games.

On the more personal side, I like the movie because it teaches a lot of good values for the whole family. James for example asked his son Howard (Patrick Louis) to return the piece of meat he stole from the butcher's shop, even though the family had nothing to eat and would starve to death. Or his paternal selflessness and sacrifice when Rosemarie, her darling little girl asked for an extra piece of meatloaf and he pretended that he was too full to eat it. James returned (and added some more) the money he asked from charity on his first winning fight. He also risked his life for a friend who was in danger. As a family man, he showed that the most important thing, when confronted by many problems, was to stick together. And this he lived when his wife sent his children to her parents' home. James begged from his former bosses for a money to get them back.

Over all, Cinderella Man, is about a man whose love for his wife, children and friends make him a champion fighter in and out of the ring. It is a story of a man whose dreams, aspirations and heart are bigger than the world of sufferings he encounters in life.

Two raised gloves! A total knock-out!


Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Russel Crowe, Paul Giamatti, Renee Zellwegger