Cinderella Turns into a Pumpkin

Rating: 7/10 (4 June 2005)

I hate boxing movies.
The only thing I hate more than boxing movies, is boxing and boxers.
Having said that, Cinderella Man is a very well made film. It is worth seeing for the acting and directing alone. Russell Crowe and Rene Zellweger give good performances, but they are pretty much what we expect from them. Paul Giamatti gives a great performance in a supporting role that outshines the stars. Ron Howard does the best directing job of his career.
I hadn't seen an uplifting depression era film since Seabiscuit. I hadn't seen an underdog boxing film since Million Dollar Baby. Both those films are better than Cinderella Man.
Cinderella Man starts off being more about the people trying to survive the Great Depression but ends with a long extended fight scene and I left the theater feeling like I just saw a remake of Rocky.
Despite all of it's attributes, Cinderella Man does not have enough originality to make it a great film. Still, it's a nice film to see in the summer because it is one of the few films geared towards adults instead of children.