Split decision

Rating: 2/10 (19 June 2005)

It seems today anything done by the Crowe-Howard combo is going to get rave reviews. "Cinderella Man" is a pretty good movie, just not a magnificent one. The script is paint-by- numbers. Renée Zellweger was as best mediocre (she has the most embarrassing line in the movie: "You're the champion of my heart, James J. Braddock!") the rest of the acting was pretty good, but not as good as other past performances by Crowe and Giamatti.
A terrible mistake in the movie was the demonization of champion Max Baer, who was as beloved as Braddock back in the day. As if the poverty and humiliation of Braddock wasn't enough to carry a story of redemption and second chances, they had to bring a villain. That's so Hollywood.
Finally, there are two bigger problems with "Cinderella Man": The uplifting, true, sport story about people who win back a second chance from the Great Depression was seen years earlier in "Seabiscuit". The other problem is, despite being a true story, there was already a beloved boxer who came out of poverty and adversity to win our hearts. His name is Rocky. The real film version of this true story.