Brother can you spare a dime...

Rating: 10/10 (9 December 2005)

Not being a fan of boxing I usually avoid movies about the sport unless there is some other reason for watching (as in Million Dollar Baby, the initial Rocky film): the idea of watching two people beat each other bloody while crazy crowds cheer just doesn't register as entertainment (the American gladiator syndrome). And while Cinderella MAN is clearly about the game of boxing, the true story of a real boxer, and contains long spans of beatings, this film is not so much about boxing as it is about the indomitable human spirit. It is also one of the finest films depicting the Great Depression in the 1930s that is a timely moment for us all to remember...
In 1928 Jim Braddock (Russell Crowe) was a top contender for boxing fame, supporting his wife Mae (Renée Zellweger) and three children, wisely investing his earnings form his winning fights in the reliable stock market, devoting his time to his family and securing their future. Then 1929 happened and the stock market crash destroyed his savings and damaged his ability to fight, plunging him into the mass of poverty accompanied by nearly all Americans. Jim and Mae struggle to feed and clothe their children, and Jim is unable to win at boxing, becomes a 'loser', loses his license, and survives by daily showing up at the docks for the negligible chance of work. The times are bleak, and there is a moment when Mae shifts the children around to family members because they have no food or heat. But Jim's fight manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti), himself surviving the bad times under a hollow facade, manages to gain Jim a fight. Despite his advancing age, broken hands, fallen reputation, and challenged ego, Jim manages to sustain his spirit and fights for the survival of his family. The rest is history.
Ron Howard directs this story of a man's indomitable spirit with a fine sense of pacing and manages to hold this two and a half hour movie together without a moment of wasted time. With cinematographer Salvatore Totino and musical score writer Thomas Newman he manages to recreate the gray brown mood of the Great Depression better than any film to date. There are small supporting roles that truly shine: the grossly underused Paddy Considine, Craig Bierko, and Bruce McGill among them are beautifully carved creations. Russell Crowe gives his most understated, credible role and truly inhabits 'Cinderella Man' (his moniker) as a desperately needed hero of the people of the Depression Era. Renée Zellweger once again plays, well...Renée Zellweger. The surprising acting comes from the solid support by Paul Giamatti. If he isn't nominated for best supporting actor then people aren't watching! Cinderella MAN is a strong film, one that sweeps you up and carries you along - even if you don't care about boxing! Grady Harp