A Man in Full

Rating: 9/10 (9 July 2005)

Good job, Ron Howard. Almost everything about this movie is good. The acting is excellent, and the screenplay is too. I haven't actually cared about a character in a film for a long time, but I was behind Jim Braddock all the way, almost from the beginning of the movie. So far, Cinderella Man is the best movie I've seen this year.
So why did I care about Jim Braddock so much? Because he's a character you don't see very much anymore--he's decent and humble. He's not about attitude, he's about character. He loves his family, but he teaches his children that there are somethings you never do, no matter how down and out you are. He shows them how to be decent by way of example, too. At the same time tough as nails, without flashing a hint of machismo. Popular opinion might presume that a character with these attributes would be boring; but he's not, because Crowe give him just the right touch of hidden confidence, humor, and homespun panache. Humble, yes--cowed, never. And here's a wild one, he loves his wife and she loves him, and without unnecessary schmaltz. And it's all done in an unaustentatious and believable way. Well, Rene Zellwiger chomps on the scenery a bit, but even that works.
Cinderella Man also takes you back to the day when there were actually people who didn't want the government to take care of them. Imagine that.
Go see Cinderella Man before it's gone from the theaters. You'll be glad you did.