top movie of 2005

Rating: 10/10 (13 August 2005)

"Cinderella Man", rated PG-13, is a solid four and a half "popcorns". The 2005 drama, is brought to the big screen by the award winning director Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, EDtv, The Missing). With the outstanding performances of the trio: Russell Crow, Renée Zellweger, and Paul Giamatti, Howard brought yet another story to the big screen, loaded it with both tear-jerking and heart-swelling moments; packed it with honorable leading characters, and artistically conveyed good morals.
I took my 16 year old friend, 18 and 13 year old sisters, along with my 14 year old brother to see "Cinderella Man". We all loved it. In our opinion it is the best movie of the year. Ron Howard brought a great story of perseverance, romance, drama, and action to moviegoers in "Cinderella Man". This movie has great morals for all ages as it teaches you to never give up and keep pressing forward. It inspires men to be strong fathers and husbands no matter what happens and to teach their children right from wrong. The scene where Jim's son returns the stolen food also teaches people to be honest and that they should work for what they need. I would highly recommend this movie to anybody over 10 years old. Parents this is a boxing movie so the violence may be too intense in spots for younger viewers. There is some profanity in this movie that was not needed, however, there wasn't the use of the F-word in this movie like most of your PG-13 movies.
The "Cinderella Man" is a wonderful true story of a professional boxer, James J. Braddock (Russell Crow). Not only was he a great boxer, he was also an admirable father and husband dedicated to keeping his wife ( Renée Zellweger) and their three children together during the Great Depression. Over-due bills, electricity out and with only five dollars to his name, "The Bulldog of Bergen" has all but lost his boxing bite and is scrambling for work alongside 15 million other unemployed Americans. Finally after a long time of despair, a little light shines though the darkness when Jim's boxing manager, Joe Gould( Paul Giamatti), shows up out of the blue with a proposition. It turns out that the number two heavyweight in the world needs a last minute replacement to fight for $250. The fact that Jim has never been knocked out makes him an attractive story line. Sporting makeshift gloves and a fighter's robe with the wrong name on it, Jim is simply expected to show up, take a few hits and collect his paycheck. But the unexpected happens... Jim KO's his opponent! Jim now has new life breathed into his previously dismal existence, another chance. One victory leads to another ... and another and another ... until Jim has suddenly rekindled hope among the down-and-out Irish-American community rallying around its newfound underdog hero. Jim, now dubbed the "Cinderella Man," is lined up to fight the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, Max Baer( Craig Bierko), an arrogant giant who has already killed two men in the ring.
Again not like your average PG-13 or PG movie, "Cinderella Man" has absolutely no sexual content. Men are shown smoking in some scenes. Parents this is one of the cleanest movies out there. It's powerful in its portrayal of life. "Cinderella Man" is as powerful as its hero's punches.