Outstanding

Rating: 10/10 (30 May 2005)

May be the best film of the year (it is only May). Great performances by the entire cast. The boxing scenes are the best I've seen, and the emotional aspect of the story brings it all together. As a nation, I think we have forgotten what the depression of the thirties did to us. All the lives it ruined. This movie shows how one family was able to break out of all the squalor, and still remain a family unit. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from this movie. Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, and Paul Giamatti are all Oscar worthy. This movie has it all. It is Ron Howard's best film. Special note about the music score by Thomas Newman. It really drives the entire film with its Irish themes.