Good movie with a bad timing and early release

Rating: 8/10 (25 March 2008)

There's a curse that every year an inspiration movie from a true event needs to come and touch our hearts.
Here's the next movie: Cinderella Man.
Russell Crowe plays James Braddock, a champion boxer who does what he can to make ends meet on the side where every night he wins the fights to provide for his wife Mae (Renee Zellweger) and children. Years later when the depression hits, James and the family falls through the riches to rags era where James can't even find work while their bills are overdue, their power is shut off, and even to a point one of the kids goes far in stealing food fearing that he'll be taken away if his parents can't provide for him and his siblings.
The Braddocks go through rough times until James former promoter Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti) gives his old client another chance where the boxer is back on his feet after winning a fight. The money is back where James can put food on the table with Mae fearing for her life that if anything were to happen to her husband, what would happen to her? Who would provide for her kids? Just like most movies, there's the rival. (Note: This was one of the elements that was part of Cinderella Man's downfall) The rival is Max Baer (Craig Bierko), an undefeated championship who has killed his opponents in the ring where not only does James have to fight him but the publicity grows high leaving people to root for the underdog.
"Cinderella Man" is a good effort from director Ron Howard while the performances from Crowe and Zellweger are strong and Paul Giamatti is the show stealer who deserved the nomination for best supporting actor showing that he's a dynamite actor.
Despite the fact that the film is loaded with good actors and a famous director, the downfall for this good epic was the fact that this movie was released too early for Oscar contenders in the summer of 2005 just three months after Clint Eastwood's epic "Million Dollar Baby" snag home the top award for best picture along with director and the acting awards (Actress, best supporting actor), including Crowe's brawl with a hotel manager along with other stuff.
No matter, I still enjoyed this movie.