Braddock's Story, Not Baer's

Rating: 10/10 (21 August 2007)

Though Cinderella Man got great critical notices it did not do well at the box office which is a shame for those who missed a great sports story and Russell Crowe's performance as James J. Braddock.
Between the time Gene Tunney retired in 1928 and Joe Louis ascended to boxing's heavyweight championship, there were a succession of champions who were not among the greatest, but who in and of themselves had some interesting stories. In order they were, Max Schmeling, Jack Sharkey, Primo Carnera, Max Baer and finally the working class champion James J. Braddock. Most of these guys fought each other and Joe Louis in fact on his way up the ladder fought and licked all of them except most notoriously Schmeling.
Jim Braddock was a promising light heavyweight in the late twenties who got a title shot against champion Tommy Loughran and lost. As is the usual pattern of things, Braddock went gradually downhill and at the same time injured his right hand. This was the Great Depression and Braddock took work on the docks as a longshoreman to support his wife and family.
Ron Howard did a fine job in recreating the era of Braddock and got a great performance out of Russell Crowe as the man. What Crowe gives you as Braddock is the real deal. Crowe nearly won an Oscar on the strength of a very touching scene with one of his children who he caught stealing a loaf of bread. Economics were bad, but Braddock's values stood the test.
I suppose it was a matter of necessity, every heroic story has to have a villain and poor Max Baer's reputation suffers as a result of it. Craig Bierko is fine as Max Baer, but he did not give you the real Max at all. Baer was a savage puncher and in fact was responsible for the death of two men in the ring. Ron Howard shows him as a man with no regrets about that. In fact Baer was deeply affected by the deaths and held his punches on many occasions because of it.
Baer was however a party animal who loved a good time above all. That was his undoing in his real career and in the film.
Viewers will also like Paul Giamatti as Braddock's shrewd and loyal manager Joe Gould. Giamatti's performance might seem a caricature yet boxing manager were and are very much like Joe Gould, at least the best of them.
As a personal story and a sports story Cinderella Man rates as one of the best films so far in this new millenia of our's. I wouldn't miss it when it's broadcast. Too bad that so many folks did miss it on the big screen.