Familiar story, but entertaining nevertheless

Rating: 9/10 (25 November 2006)

Cinderella Man has a sentiment that has you rooting for the long shot and live his dream with him, even though the theme of a has-been or underdog given a second chance to prove himself has been adopted numerous times in sports stories.
What struck me most was the parallels to the fictional Rocky story; even some of the boxing choreography looks the same. Of course, that may be unavoidable; there's only so many variations on a boxing match available--the sport by its nature is fairly predictable. However, this time the story is based on a real person, and the film is adept at making that person real up there on the screen. Jim Braddock, an apparent has-been boxer, gets back in the ring again due to an act of fate, and makes good with the opportunity. He was a symbol of hope for the little guy during the Depression, having been on some of those bread lines himself.
Russel Crowe is excellent as Braddock. You see every thought of the man, told through some clever filtered shots. I love one shot of Paul Giamatti (who is great, too), as his manager, getting in his face, shouting and screaming to him to kill the guy. (It reminded me of those Twilight Zone shots where someone is losing their sanity, and other characters are taunting them.) My favorite in the supporting cast was Rene Zellweger, who is wonderful as Braddock's wife. She matched the wonderful job of Talia Shire as Rocky's girl--the same touchingly real terror that her man could very easily get his head bashed in at any second. Craig Beirko as Max Baer, the champion, is excellent in his nasty rival persona, although I think they took some artistic license on Baer's true character, to evoke more rooting for Braddock as the "good guy." A fine movie for anyone who likes a good sports drama story.