All the parts come together to make this an outstanding movie...

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2005)

After seeing Cinderella Man in the theater, I was eagerly waiting for it to come out on video to see if it's really as good as I thought it was. It is. It holds up superbly on a second showing. Film is such a totally collaborative art form and all of the parts have to come together successfully to create a first-rate movie. That's exactly what happens here and Ron Howard once again shows what an excellent director he is capable of being. Granted, the theme of an underdog boxer attempting to make a great comeback is older than Rocky One but much more multi-dimensional in this case, and for my money this is a much better flick that Million Dollar Baby. The movie not only portrays the hardships and grinding poverty of the Depression era but also powerfully depicts a profoundly decent and ethical man of great courage and integrity putting his life (and pride) on the line for his family. It's hard to imagine any other actor who could pull this off as Russell Crow does here. His performance manages to be understated, subtle and totally convincing in the role of Jimmy Braddock. Renee Zellweger also turns in a fine performance, as do other members of the uniformly excellent cast. Craig Bierko is terrific as the arrogant and murderous fighter, Max Baer, and the scene between fight promoter Jimmy Johnston (Bruce McGill) and Braddock's trainer/manager (Paul Giamatti) is a gem. Quote of the day: "Your mouth should be in a circus." Right on!