Pretty darn good

Rating: 9/10 (2 April 2014)

I love how all the historians of boxing and the Great Depression and the haters just down play this movie like it's completely false. Are all the parts of this movie the absolute truth? Probably not. With that said, I believe Ron Howard was trying to capture the goodness and heart of the main character Jim Braddock, played by Russell Crowe. It's Hollywood folks and the truth can be slightly twisted to blown out of proportion in movies. I really enjoyed the movie and thought the boxing scenes were filmed perfectly. Paul Giamatti as Joe Gould was brilliant. I felt his character pieced the movie together. Now, if I am not mistaken, the real life Joe Gould had run ins with the law later on. In the movie they make him out to be a great guy and maybe he was. Some of the acting is a tad bit cheesy but not over bearing or unwatchable. I believe Ron Howard was just trying to capture the feel of someone living through the depression and what one person did to save his family and he did. If your stomach didn't have a little lump in it seeing how tough it was then you just didn't get it. Most of us here wouldn't understand. As far as Max Baer, he is painted as somewhat of a monster. My guess is he wasn't and was given that image as the "bad guy" for the movie. Overall, this movie is worth the watch and more than once. Great movie from Mr. Howard that leaves you feeling good when it's over.