Non-formulaic formula

Rating: 7/10 (18 July 2005)

"Cinderella Man" immediately corners itself with its name alone. Why give 2 plus hours of your life to a movie that telegraphs its intentions in the very title? Yet Ron Howard's film seems to relish the challenge of giving heft to a story that doggedly follows formula; the title could describe the film itself as well as the story it tells.
Russell Crowe gives a performance of quiet intensity as Depression-era boxer Jim Braddock. It's good to see Crowe channeling his penchant for fisticuffs toward the screen for once, and it pays off in his restrained, yet fully realized, portrayal of a man trying to keep his family afloat while seemingly everyone sinks around him. Well, not everyone. Braddock is fortunate to have connections among wealthy boxing promoters, who keep him fighting until a broken hand leads to his decommission, and destitution. He can't fight, and the dock bosses aren't likely to pick a gimp for a day's work. Already having promised his worried son that he'll never send him away, Braddock's situation soon looks as hopeless as nearly everyone else's. There's a powerful scene of him showing up to his former promoters, hat literally in hand, pleading for a few bucks to keep the lights on at home.
But this being a comeback story, we know "the Bulldog" Braddock will be back in the ring, jabbing his way toward improbable glory. It's no surprise, then, when he surprisingly knocks out a heavyweight contender for whom he was supposed to be a tune up. Nor do we expect a seemingly debilitating rib injury to stand too much in the way of Braddock's victory march. As for his final title fight, could it go any shorter than a full 15 rounds, or feature anything less than a seemingly invincible opponent with a habit of leaving corpses in the ring? If you're unsure of any of this, kindly refer back to the title.
Howard is smart with this stuff, though, and keeps pugilistic matters mostly in the background. There's no waxing poetic about the purity of boxing; no paeans to the sweetness of its science. Braddock doesn't even seem to enjoy his profession much more than he would a round of darts with the boys at the pub. It's a job when few are available, a chance to keep his family fed and sheltered when no other options are open. Crowe's Braddock tries hard to keep cool in the worst of adversity; he doesn't rise to the provocations of title-holder Max Baer at a pre-fight banquet, and calmly understands his wife's near-hysteria at the prospect of widowhood. Things are tough enough without flying off the handle. Paul Giamatti, always fun to watch, does a nice turn as Braddock's sincere manager who sells all he has to finance his man's training. It's great to see Hollywood taking notice of Giamatti, who seems to inhabit fully all of his roles in spite of his untraditional profile.
By openly copping to a by-the-numbers underdog story, "Cinderella Man" frees itself up to focus on the much more interesting hardscrabble lives of its characters outside the ring. This film deftly reminds us that formula doesn't have to be formulaic.