Genteel and cheerful boxing movie.

Rating: Null/10 (16 July 2006)

As boxing movies go, this one certainly can't compare to 2004's 'Million Dollar Baby' or the original 'Rocky'. However, Russell Crowe is convincing in the role of Jim Braddock, a man struggling to reach the top of his profession and while the underdog story has been done to death, audiences still love it because they always see themselves in their heroes' role. I liked the subject matter and the idea of the film a lot more than its execution, which admittedly, is flawed. Depression era people struggling to make something out of their lives. Crowe's children in the film represent my father's family and his siblings growing up. Something I've learned about in my life, and I'm glad there are those with big hearts like director Ron Howard, still brave enough to make these films in an era when no one seems to care about the impoverished anymore.