Not quite up to par with other films (mild spoilers possible)

Rating: 9/10 (30 May 2005)

Boxing movies, it seems, are almost guaranteed to be great movies. We have Rocky, Raging Bull, and most recently Million Dollar Baby. I guess boxing is more interesting because it is more intense then, say, golf, or baseball. With boxing you can also provide well-developed characters and an emotional and touching plot. Clint Eastwood saw this and made the best boxing movie, Million Dollar Baby, which appeared out of nowhere in December and went on to triumph over The Aviator and prove that Oscar voters still sometimes get it right.
Cinderella Man is the true story of boxer Jim Braddock (Russell Crowe), who was at the top of his prime in 1928, but slowly became weaker and finally was expelled from the boxing commission in 1933. He lives with his wife Mae (Renee Zellweger) and three kids in a rundown apartment. They can't pay the electrical bills, and Jim's broken hand keeps him from getting any shifts at the docks.
But he gets lucky when his manager, Joe (Paul Giamatti), signs him up at the last minute for a quick fight to lose to the second place heavy weight champion. What was intended to be Braddock's goodbye ends being his spectacular comeback. He takes out the champion and wins the $250 purse. Things escalate and soon he is fighting Max Baer (Craig Bierko) for one of his final fights.
The boxing movies mentioned in the first paragraph are all about boxing, yet the boxing isn't really featured that much. In Rocky, there are two fights total; Raging Bull has plenty in the beginning, but they disappear as the protagonist gets older; and Million Dollar Baby's last thirty minutes prove that it is something quite different. Yet Cinderella Man contains plenty of well-shot, intense fights. During the final fight, I observed many watchers sitting on the edge of their seats, involved in the intense fights.
Ron Howard makes good use of the flash bulbs used then. Whenever fists meet face, and flash bulb is used exactly on the impact, which is more effective than Neo and Agent Smith fighting in lightning. The angles change with every flash, and there are some interesting point of view shots.
The movie's biggest flaw is the failure to tell us why Jim is such a hero to the people. There is a scene where Mae goes to a church to pray for Jim, and finds it filled with other people also praying for Jim. Yet why these people think that he is their hero, their inspiration, is a story I would've liked to see. They could've added five more minutes of why everyone admired him (besides the obvious).
Russell Crowe is as good as ever, though there is nothing particularly special. He works well with Renee Zellweger as the struggling family trying to support their kids. Zellweger also executes her role with full control and doesn't overact, which she could've easily done. Giamatti's performance isn't up to par with Sideways, but he's still funny as the pudgy manager with smart comebacks.
It's not the best movie of the year, but it is an early contender for some Oscar nominations, most notably for Giamatti and Zellweger. The movie won't go so far as to win Best Picture, but it just might receive some nominations. My recommendations go to boxing fans and fans of any of the stars in the movie.