A Working Class Hero Is Something to Be

Rating: 6/10 (23 December 2008)

"In all the history of the boxing game you find no human interest story to compare with the life narrative of James J. Braddock" is how the famed writer (and boxing fan) Damon Runyon described the Boxer he dubbed "Cinderella Man". Director Ron Howard uses the quote to open the film. So, you are guaranteed a heartwarming story of a man who overcomes abject poverty.
Russell Crowe (as Jim Braddock) begins as a moderately successful boxer, living with wife Renée Zellweger (as Mae) and their three young children. The Braddock family suffers through bad luck, cold New Jersey winters, and the Great Depression. If you've been cold and poor, you'll identify with warming socks in the stove and adding water to stretch a bottle of milk.
The film's, and the leading character's, high moral tone is set when Mr. Crowe, in an early scene, brings his son to the local butcher shop; there, the boy returns a piece of meat he stole to feed the hungry Braddock family. "No matter what happens, we don't steal," Crowe explains. Ever. He also promises the children, "We will never send you away," and sobs when poverty dictates otherwise. His dedication and commitment to his wife and children are the driving force in the life of the boxer.
Today, the boxing ring has been taken over, in popularity, by choreographed pretenders. But, once upon a time, you were to cause your opponent actual physical damage. Continuing to hit someone in the head until they fell, "Knocked Out", was the prime directive. During a fight, Crowe's manager Paul Giamatti (as Joe Gould) demands, "Fill his face with blood!"
Later, Crowe's Braddock is successful enough to face wicked champion Craig Bierko (as Max Baer), who is credited as having "killed two men in the ring." So, the fight is promoted as a chance to witness a potential murder. Boxing and morality make strange bedfellows. But, "Cinderella Man" is a pretty, predictable, and well-produced film.
****** Cinderella Man (2005) Ron Howard ~ Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti