Why did such a great movie flop?!

Rating: 9/10 (25 December 2005)

Having seen most of Ron Howard's movies, I know that he's a director who has a tendency to try and tug at people's emotions. Maybe after playing Opie Taylor and Richie Cunningham, he wanted to show people that he could be more than "silly"; thus, "Cocoon" showed hope for senior citizens, "Backdraft" showed the lives of firefighters, "The Paper" looked at journalism, and "Apollo 13" focused on a real event. As it is, I have liked most of his movies, and I can now add "Cinderella Man" to that list.
Russell Crowe plays Jim Braddock, a working stiff who was a boxing star back in the '20s. But when the Depression hit, he and his family were plunged into abject poverty. With no other options open, Jim convinces his manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti) to find him a boxing match. When Jim wins, it begins his path to prominence again, and hope for his family.
"Cinderella Man" struck me less in its focus on boxing than in its look at the Depression. Jim's only chance for work is to go to the harbor where the boss only admits five people each day, and Jim's busted hand makes it hard for him to work even when he gets in. Also, much of the movie shows Jim walking through the slums, and another scene shows a bunch of rich people in a fancy hotel as a contrast to how most people were living. As for the boxing aspect, many movies have shown working class people trying to make something of themselves by getting into boxing, so maybe that's why the boxing aspect didn't strike me as much.
All in all, this is a very well-done piece of cinema. Crowe and Giamatti are perfect in their roles, as is Renee Zellweger as Jim's desperate but strong wife Mae. Also starring are Craig Bierko as Jim's opponent Max Baer (yes, Jethro Bodine's father), and Paddy Considine as Jim's friend Mike, whose desperation leads him to commit suicide. Howard and Crowe have accomplished something as great as they did with "A Beautiful Mind". I can't understand why this movie flopped, even if there was an overall low turnout this summer.