"Where the hell have you been, Jimmy Braddock?"

Rating: 9/10 (31 December 2011)

Timing can be everything when watching a movie. I saw this when it first came out and at the time it struck me as another in a long line of inspirational sports movies where the underdog does good and everyone lives happily ever after. But as I write this, the calendar is about to turn it's last page on 2011, and the country looks to the New Year with some of the same misgivings that it's citizens faced during The Great Depression. With a stagnant economy, high unemployment, and frustration with government at an all time high, conditions are ripe for someone like a James J. Braddock to capture the public imagination. Braddock's story is one of courage and inspiration, getting and taking that second chance and making the most of it with no outcome acceptable except success. Here was a man with a deep commitment to family values who could only take charity as a last resort and mark time until he could return payment in full. In that light, boxing is almost peripheral to the tale of Braddock's rise to glory. The man could take a beating but just kept coming back because defeat was not an option. The modern era could use a role model like James J. Braddock, someone with substance and character to help us understand that misfortune is temporary, and that hard work and perseverance will work out for the best.