Emotionally draining

Rating: 8/10 (15 June 2005)

The screening I went to in mid-May 2005 was attended with great anticipation by a mixed demographic in downtown Minneapolis. Graced with an award winning cast (Russell Crowe, René Zellweger, Paul Giamatti), CINDERALLA MAN is clearly a film made with great care by master producers (Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Penny Marshall), director (Ron Howard), and screenwriters (Cliff Hollingsworth and Akiva Goldsman). And yet, when the film ended, I had the sinking feeling that this pedigreed and worthy film was going to be a box office disappointment. Often billed as SEABISCUIT with two legs, this film indeed is a similar inspirational tale about how individual conviction and perseverance can prevail against overwhelming odds to emerge victorious, just as we and our Nation survived the depths of the Great Depression. In this case, the character of the man that was Jim Braddock, his unwavering support by a manager and wife who believed in him, were finely drawn and superbly executed by exceptional actors. The journey of the man, his tenacious hold to personal and professional principles, could not have been depicted better. The boxing action shots, the set design, the deft outline of Braddock's adversaries  poverty and physical danger  were clear and convincing. Despite all this, my concern at the end of the movie was that it was depressing, rather than uplifting. It went so deep that I was emotionally washed out at the end and even a good ending didn't make me right. Perhaps it has a little to do with my personal concern with the present American economy that made me wonder if the Great Depression could ever happen again, and what if it did. I knew it wasn't a film I'd be recommending to my friends for a fun evening out. The other concern I had while watching the film, was that I didn't know enough about this man Braddock and his family during the good days. The film opens with Braddock a winner, and very shortly thereafter the black clouds roll in and the majority of the movie is the dark story about a man from whom we have no expectation who turns out to be a great man. Perhaps it would have been good to spend a little more time showing us how Braddock first made it to the top, and how he became a little cocky, and then how he weathered the great storm with principles intact despite being severely tested. If any fault can be given at all to the design of the story telling, this would be it -- That short shrift was given to background on Braddock, his little human failings and his relationship with his wife, before their mettle was tested.