Cinderella Man has Oscar written all over it

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2005)

After Million Dollar Baby made it big last year, it was pretty much a given that another boxing-themed movie would be released this year. Exactly what kind of boxing movie was out in the open. So why not take a theme from another successful movie from a couple years ago, combine it with MDB, and throw in a biopic because those are in now. So we now have a boxing biopic set in the great depression. As much as it may seem like just a combination of some other themes that worked recently, Cinderella Man works extremely well on its own even when compared to everything else like it.
The subject of Cinderella Man is boxer Jimmy Braddock (Crowe), who was working his way to the top undefeated before the Great Depression came and took away everything he had, leaving him and his wife Mae (Zellweger) struggling to make enough money to feed their three children. Braddock is working at the docks, but there is little need for men, so he often does not get shifts. Occasionally he gets an offer for a fight from his longtime manager Joe Gould (Giamatti), but his former reputation no longer exists and he performs abysmally. After one particularly bad fight against a low-level boxer, where he manages to break his hand for a third time, boxing promoter Jimmy Johnston (McGill) strips him of his licence, leaving Braddock with a broken hand and little work at the docks.
After some time, Gould contacts Braddock about having him replace a fighter who dropped out of a match against the #2 title contender, Corn Griffin. Braddock agrees due to the high payout win-or-lose, and ends up beating Griffin in the ring, spurring the resurgence of his boxing career, as well as his wife's fears for his life. These fear are much enlarged when Braddock finds himself in a fight with Max Baer (Bierko), the world champion who has killed two men in the ring.
There is also some sidestories that deal directly with the depression, most notably one involving fellow dock worker Mike Wilson (Considine), though these tend to disappear once Braddock's boxing career starts up again. This is a blessing for the movie, as any more depression stories once it kicks into high gear would ruin the flow, though they are often very moving in the first half.
The plot moves along at a surprisingly quick pace. Most of the time in movies like this, the story tends to linger on some elements for far longer than it should. That never happens here, and while it does run at a solid 2:15, it has enough plot to fill a three hour movie under normal circumstances. This makes Cinderella Man a much more re-watchable movie than others like it.
The first half of the movie is definitely there to give you an understanding of Braddock and the times he lives in, but the movie gets really good once the boxing action starts up. The fights are extraordinary after the Griffin match, with perfect direction throughout them all. The slowdowns at times of specific pain for Braddock are well used and only pop up when the scar is going to become a plot piece for later on (such as his broken hand). The rounds go by fairly quickly, but always are long enough to get you involved in every fight. The one involving Art Lasky is particularly good, as is the final bout with Baer. The only problem here is that there are only four notable fights, but any more would make the movie inaccurate, so these four fights are made exceptionally well.
The acting is also incredible on all fronts. Russell Crowe turns in his fourth Oscar worthy performance in a row, after Master & Commander, A Beautiful Mind and Gladiator, this one ranking right up near the top. Renee Zellweger, who is not normally one of my favourite actresses, also brings in a surprisingly powerful performance as the torn wife who knows they need the money but can't stand to see her husband in the ring. Then there is Paul Giamatti, who was unrightfully denied an Oscar nomination for last year's Sideways. While he doesn't have quite as much to work with this time around, he proves himself incredibly worthy and definitely deserves serious consideration. Also worth noting are Bruce McGill as a boxing promoter and Craig Bierko as a deliciously antagonistic rival.
Usually in a review, the critic has something bad to say about the movie. Oddly enough, I cannot think of any criticisms for Cinderella Man. Sure, maybe it could have been a little more, but from what is delivered is flawless, being Ron Howard's best movie in ages and turning in some great performances from Crowe, Zellweger and Giamatti. This movie has Oscar written all over it, and if you call yourself a lover of movies you are obligated to see this one.
Overall Score  96%