Cinderella Man - wikipedia Cinderella Man For other uses, see Cinderella Man ( disambiguation ). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2017 ) Cinderella Man Theatrical release poster Directed by Ron Howard Produced by Ron Howard Penny Marshall Brian Grazer Screenplay by Cliff Hollingsworth Akiva Goldsman Story by Cliff Hollingsworth Starring Russell Crowe Renée Zellweger Paul Giamatti Craig Bierko Paddy Considine Bruce McGill Ron Canada Music by Thomas Newman Cinematography Salvatore Totino Edited by Daniel P. Hanley Mike Hill Production company Miramax Films Imagine Entertainment Parkway Productions Distributed by Universal Pictures ( North America ) Buena Vista International Touchstone Pictures ( International ) Release date June 3, 2005 ( 2005 - 06 - 03 ) Running time 144 minutes Country United States Canada Language English Budget $88 million Box office $108.5 million Cinderella Man is a 2005 American biographical sports drama film by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of world heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. The film was produced by Howard, Penny Marshall, and Brian Grazer. Damon Runyon is credited for giving Braddock this nickname. Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger and Paul Giamatti star. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Release 5 Reaction 5.1 Critical reception and box office 6 Awards and nominations 7 Legacy 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Plot James J. Braddock is an Irish - American boxer from New Jersey, formerly a light heavyweight contender, who is forced to give up boxing after breaking his hand in the ring. This is both a relief and a burden to his wife, Mae. She can not bring herself to watch the violence of his chosen profession, yet she knows they will not have enough income without his boxing. As the United States enters the Great Depression, Braddock does manual labor as a longshoreman to support his family, even with his injured hand. Unfortunately, he can not get work every day. Thanks to a last - minute cancellation by another boxer, Braddock 's longtime manager and friend, Joe Gould, offers him a chance to fill in for just one night and earn cash. The fight is against the number - two contender in the world, Corn Griffin. Braddock stuns the boxing experts and fans with a third - round knockout of his formidable opponent. He believes that while his right hand was broken, he became more proficient with his left hand, improving his in - ring ability. Despite Mae 's objections, Braddock takes up Gould 's offer to return to the ring. Mae resents this attempt by Gould to profit from her husband 's dangerous livelihood, until she discovers that Gould and his wife also have been devastated by hard times. With a shot at the heavyweight championship held by Max Baer a possibility, Braddock continues to win. Out of a sense of pride, he uses a portion of his prize money to pay back money to the government given to him while unemployed. When his rags to riches story gets out, the sportswriter Damon Runyon dubs him `` The Cinderella Man '', and before long Braddock comes to represent the hopes and aspirations of the American public struggling with the Depression. A title fight against Baer comes his way. Braddock is a 10 - to - 1 underdog. Mae is terrified because Baer, the champ, is a vicious man who reportedly has killed at least two men in the ring. He is so destructive that the fight 's promoter, James Johnston, forces both Braddock and Gould to watch a film of Baer in action, just so he can maintain later that he warned them what Braddock was up against. Braddock demonstrates no fear. The arrogant Baer attempts to intimidate him, even taunting Mae in public that her man might not survive. When he says this, she becomes so angry that she throws a drink at him. She is unable to attend the fight at the Madison Square Garden Bowl or even to listen to it on the radio. On June 13, 1935, in one of the greatest upsets in boxing history, Braddock defeats the seemingly invincible Baer to become the heavyweight champion of the world. An epilogue reveals that Braddock would lose his title to Joe Louis and later worked on the building of the Verrazano Bridge, owning and operating heavy machinery on the docks where he worked during the Depression, and that he and Mae used his boxing income to buy a house, where they spent the rest of their lives. Cast Russell Crowe as James J. Braddock Renée Zellweger as Mae Braddock Paul Giamatti as Joe Gould Bruce McGill as James Johnston Craig Bierko as Max Baer Paddy Considine as Mike Wilson David Huband as Ford Bond Connor Price as Jay Braddock Ariel Waller as Rosemarie `` Rosy '' Braddock Patrick Louis as Howard Braddock Rosemarie DeWitt as Sara Wilson Linda Kash as Mrs. Gould Nicholas Campbell as Sporty Lewis Gene Pyrz as Jake Chuck Shamata as Father Roddick Ron Canada as Joe Jeanette Alicia Johnston as Alice Troy Amos - Ross as John Henry Lewis Mark Simmons as Art Lasky Art Binkowski as Corn Griffin David Litzinger as Abe Feldman Matthew G. Taylor as Primo Carnera Rance Howard as Announcer Al Fazin Robert Norman Smith as reporter Angelo Dundee as boxing trainer Production During filming in Toronto, several areas were redressed to resemble 1930s New York. The Richmond Street side of The Bay 's Queen Street store was redressed as Madison Square Garden, complete with fake store fronts and period stop lights. A stretch of Queen Street East between Broadview and Carlaw was also made up to appear to be from the 1930s and dozens of period cars were parked along the road. Maple Leaf Gardens was used for all the fight scenes, and many scenes were filmed in the Distillery District. Filming also took place in Hamilton, Ontario at the harbour for the dock workers ' scene. The main apartment was shot north of St. Clair Avenue on Lauder Avenue on the east side. An awning was put up for a dress shop, later turned into a real coffee shop. The Toronto Transit Commission 's historic Peter Witt streetcar and two more cars from the nearby Halton County Radial Railway were used for the filming, travelling on Toronto 's existing streetcar tracks. Release In a campaign to boost ticket sales after the film 's low opening, AMC Theatres advertised on June 24, 2005 that in 30 markets ( about 150 theaters nationwide ), it would offer a refund to any ticket - buyer dissatisfied with the film. The advertisement, published in The New York Times and other papers and on internet film sites, read, `` AMC believes Cinderella Man is one of the finest motion pictures of the year ! We believe so strongly that you 'll enjoy Cinderella Man we 're offering a Money Back Guarantee. '' The promotion moderately increased box office revenue for a short period, while at least 50 patrons demanded refunds. Following suit, Cinemark Theatres also offered a money - back guarantee in 25 markets that did not compete with AMC Theaters. AMC had last employed such a strategy ( in limited markets ) for the 1988 release of Mystic Pizza, while 20th Century Fox had unsuccessfully tried a similar ploy for its 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street. Reaction Critical reception and box Office Rotten Tomatoes gave it an approval rating of 80 % based on reviews from 211 critics with an average score of 7.4 / 10. Its consensus states, `` With grittiness and an evocative sense of time and place, Cinderella Man is a powerful underdog story. And Ron Howard and Russell Crowe prove to be a solid combination. '' Metacritic gives the film a score of 69 % based on reviews from 40 critics. It received an A+ rating from CinemaScore. During its North American theatrical run, the film ( which cost $88 million ) earned $61,649,911. Awards and nominations This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2016 ) Academy Award Best Supporting Actor ( Paul Giamatti ) ( Nominated ) Best Film Editing ( Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill ) ( Nominated ) Best Makeup ( David LeRoy Anderson, Lance Anderson ) ( Nominated ) BAFTA Award Best Original Screenplay ( Cliff Hollingsworth, Akiva Goldsman ) ( Nominated ) Critics ' Choice Movie Award Best Actor ( Russell Crowe ) ( Nominated ) Best Supporting Actor ( Paul Giamatti ) ( Won ) Best Director ( Ron Howard ) ( Nominated ) Best Film ( Nominated ) Golden Globe Award Best Actor -- Motion Picture Drama ( Russell Crowe ) ( Nominated ) Best Supporting Actor -- Motion Picture ( Paul Giamatti ) ( Nominated ) Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Actor -- Motion Picture ( Russell Crowe ) ( Nominated ) Outstanding Supporting Actor -- Motion Picture ( Paul Giamatti ) ( Won ) Legacy In April 2018, Crowe auctioned off as part of his `` divorce auction '' a number of props he owned which were used by him in his various films, including a jockstrap, pair of shorts and robe which were worn by Crowe in Cinderella Man. The items from the film as well as the other items on auction were bought by the HBO television show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, with the jockstrap having sold for $7,000. The items purchased were then donated to the last operating Blockbuster Video store in Alaska. See also List of boxing films References ^ Jump up to : `` Cinderella Man ( 2005 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 5, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Internet Movie Database -- List of Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario ''. Retrieved January 29, 2008. Jump up ^ Stack, Tim ( July 1, 2005 ). `` Cinde - Refund : AMC is offering refunds to unsatisfied moviegoers -- The exhibitor is giving customers their money back if they did n't like Cinderella Man ''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 12, 2006. Jump up ^ Johannes, Amy ( July 5, 2006 ). `` AMC Offers Refund for Cinderella Man ''. PROMO Xtra. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2006. Jump up ^ `` Cinderella Man ( 2005 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 5, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Cinderella Man Reviews ''. Metacritic. Retrieved 2014 - 01 - 28. Jump up ^ `` Why CinemaScore Matters for Box Office ''. The Hollywood Reporter. 2011 - 08 - 19. Retrieved 2014 - 01 - 28. Jump up ^ Parker, Ryan ( 2018 - 04 - 15 ). `` John Oliver Bought Russell Crowe 's Jockstrap for Alaska 's Last Blockbuster Video ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018 - 04 - 15. External links Cinderella Man on IMDb Cinderella Man at Rotten Tomatoes Cinderella Man at Metacritic Cinderella Man at Box Office Mojo Films directed by Ron Howard Grand Theft Auto ( 1977 ) Cotton Candy ( 1978 ) Skyward ( 1980 ) Night Shift ( 1982 ) Splash ( 1984 ) Cocoon ( 1985 ) Gung Ho ( 1986 ) Willow ( 1988 ) Parenthood ( 1989 ) Backdraft ( 1991 ) Far and Away ( 1992 ) The Paper ( 1994 ) Apollo 13 ( 1995 ) Ransom ( 1996 ) EDtv ( 1999 ) How the Grinch Stole Christmas ( 2000 ) A Beautiful Mind ( 2001 ) The Missing ( 2003 ) Cinderella Man ( 2005 ) The Da Vinci Code ( 2006 ) Frost / Nixon ( 2008 ) Angels & Demons ( 2009 ) The Dilemma ( 2011 ) Rush ( 2013 ) Made in America ( 2013 ) In the Heart of the Sea ( 2015 ) The Beatles : Eight Days a Week ( 2016 ) Inferno ( 2016 ) Solo : A Star Wars Story ( 2018 ) Brian Grazer Films produced Night Shift ( 1982 ) Splash ( 1984 ) Real Genius ( 1985 ) Spies Like Us ( 1985 ) Armed and Dangerous ( 1986 ) Like Father Like Son ( 1987 ) Parenthood ( 1989 ) Kindergarten Cop ( 1990 ) Closet Land ( 1991 ) My Girl ( 1991 ) Far and Away ( 1992 ) Housesitter ( 1992 ) Boomerang ( 1992 ) For Love or Money ( 1993 ) My Girl 2 ( 1994 ) Greedy ( 1994 ) The Paper ( 1994 ) The Cowboy Way ( 1994 ) Apollo 13 ( 1995 ) Sgt. Bilko ( 1996 ) Fear ( 1996 ) The Nutty Professor ( 1996 ) The Chamber ( 1996 ) Ransom ( 1996 ) Liar Liar ( 1997 ) Inventing the Abbotts ( 1997 ) Mercury Rising ( 1998 ) Psycho ( 1998 ) Edtv ( 1999 ) Life ( 1999 ) Bowfinger ( 1999 ) Beyond the Mat ( 2000 ) Nutty Professor II : The Klumps ( 2000 ) How the Grinch Stole Christmas ( 2000 ) A Beautiful Mind ( 2001 ) Undercover Brother ( 2002 ) Blue Crush ( 2002 ) 8 Mile ( 2002 ) Intolerable Cruelty ( 2003 ) The Cat in the Hat ( 2003 ) The Missing ( 2003 ) Friday Night Lights ( 2004 ) Inside Deep Throat ( 2005 ) Cinderella Man ( 2005 ) Flightplan ( 2005 ) Fun with Dick and Jane ( 2005 ) Inside Man ( 2006 ) The Da Vinci Code ( 2006 ) American Gangster ( 2007 ) Changeling ( 2008 ) Frost / Nixon ( 2008 ) Angels & Demons ( 2009 ) Robin Hood ( 2010 ) The Dilemma ( 2011 ) Restless ( 2011 ) Cowboys & Aliens ( 2011 ) J. Edgar ( 2011 ) Tower Heist ( 2011 ) Katy Perry : Part of Me ( 2012 ) Rush ( 2013 ) In the Heart of the Sea ( 2015 ) Inferno ( 2016 ) Lowriders ( 2016 ) American Made ( 2017 ) TV series created Shadow Chasers Works by Akiva Goldsman Films directed Winter 's Tale ( 2014 ) Stephanie ( 2017 ) Films written The Client ( 1994 ) Silent Fall ( 1994 ) Batman Forever ( 1995 ) A Time to Kill ( 1996 ) Batman & Robin ( 1997 ) Lost in Space ( 1998 ) Practical Magic ( 1998 ) A Beautiful Mind ( 2001 ) I, Robot ( 2004 ) Cinderella Man ( 2005 ) The Da Vinci Code ( 2006 ) I Am Legend ( 2007 ) Angels & Demons ( 2008 ) Winter 's Tale ( 2014 ) The Divergent Series : Insurgent ( 2015 ) Rings ( 2017 ) Transformers : The Last Knight ( 2017 ) The Dark Tower ( 2017 ) Films produced Lost in Space ( 1998 ) Deep Blue Sea ( 1999 ) Starsky & Hutch ( 2004 ) Mindhunters ( 2004 ) Constantine ( 2005 ) Mr. & Mrs. Smith ( 2005 ) Poseidon ( 2006 ) I Am Legend ( 2007 ) Hancock ( 2008 ) The Losers ( 2010 ) Fair Game ( 2010 ) Jonah Hex ( 2010 ) Lone Survivor ( 2013 ) Winter 's Tale ( 2014 ) King Arthur : Legend of the Sword ( 2017 ) The Dark Tower ( 2017 ) GND : 4912434 - 1 VIAF : 176460736 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cinderella_Man&oldid=842224665 '' Categories : 2005 films English - language films 2000s sports films American films American biographical films American drama films Boxing films Great Depression films Irish - American culture Sports films based on actual events Miramax films Imagine Entertainment films Films produced by Brian Grazer Films directed by Ron Howard Films set in New York City Films set in the 1920s Films set in the 1930s Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario Films shot in Toronto Films set in Hudson County, New Jersey Films scored by Thomas Newman Screenplays by Akiva Goldsman Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from September 2017 All articles needing additional references Use mdy dates from March 2011 Pages using div col without cols and colwidth parameters Articles needing additional references from January 2016 Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Català Deutsch Eesti Español Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська 中文 20 more Edit links This page was last edited on 21 May 2018, at 02 : 04 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who is the main character in cinderella man
Answer: James J. Braddock