Crowe and Howard are a winning combination

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2005)

Ron Howard and Russell Crowe have something going on. As Kauffman and Hart were to the screwball comedy, as Rogers and Hammerstein were to the Broadway musical, and as Burns and Allen were to banter comedy, Howard and Crowe should go down in entertainment history as the team that perfected the biographical movie. As an encore to their amazing collaboration in "A Beautiful Mind" the actor/director team has created a brooding, harrowing, and soulful journey through a slice of the life of boxer Jimmy Braddock, an unlikely heavyweight champ of the depression wracked 1930's. Given the success of "Cinderella Man" it seems apparent that this is a franchise in the making. The movie itself is simple. It follows a relatively short time in the life of boxer Braddock and his family and does not rely on an entire lifetime to make its point. No study of childhood psychological baggage here. It is very simply the gritty nature of Braddock's quest, the interplay between him, his wife, his kids and his always supportive manager, and the oppression of the era that are the recipe that makes this move a compelling work.
Set during a period in our history where the real consequences of the Great Depression are oftentimes either ignored or caricaturized, Howard pulls no punches in depicting the inhumanity of that slice of our history. Using an almost sepiaesque tone to the color, an era of gloom and doom is aptly created, throwing the viewer into a realistic reality of calamity. We are even taken on a not so pretty tour of "Hoover Ville" in 1930's Central Park that cannot help but move even the most stalwart of movie goers. Effectively using this as his backdrop, Howard paces the film so that the last hour is literally breathtaking as we follow Braddock through his final trek toward and into the title fight. The fight scenes themselves are remarkable in their ability to get the audience involved in each. Even with full knowledge of the outcome, Braddock's journey is exciting and suspenseful. This is great film-making.
Crowe is quite simply a great actor. His chameleon like ability to "become" is a joy to experience. Together with his character we feel his frustration, his angst, and almost overwhelmingly, his pain, both physically and emotionally. When he has to ask for public assistance and is forced to "beg" from boxing fat cats so as not to break a promise to his little boy that he would never send him away to live in their desperate times, it is almost excruciating to watch. We feel what he feels, we know what he knows, and we hurt like he hurts. This is great acting.
The supporting cast is great also. Rene' Zellweger is understated as ever in her long suffering support of the title character. She has the ability to pull us equally into the story and creates a great role out of a weakly written part. She is truly the great woman behind this man. Equally effective in his role is Paul Giamatti as Braddock's manger. He is always there for Braddock. He seems almost like a guardian angel in his "never say die" demeanor, and his quest to continue Braddock's career. When he tells Braddock that they are revoking his license, we feel all the pain associated with having to break bad news to those we care about. His exuberance during the final fight is contagious. Craig Bierko as killer fighter Max Baer and Paddy Considine as Braddock's friend on the docks also turn in excellent performances.
As Howard continues to prove himself a truly great director, Crowe continues to pad his resume' with meaty and heartfelt performances in the vein of the best movie actors like Brando, Bogart, and Stewart. Mr. Crowe's ability to re-create himself in the context of every character he tackles puts him in a very small class with a very high caliber of movie actor. Howard just might be the consummate "actor's" director. His ability to glean stellar performances out of every actor in his movies from the smallest walk across to his biggest stars is nothing short of phenomenal, and certainly no fluke. Over and over again, Howard has proved himself. "Cinderella Man" will take it's place on his already prestigious resume' as one of his best, and hopefully this will not be the last we see of these two working together.