The Real life "Rocky" James J. Braddock

Rating: 9/10 (29 December 2016)

In the world of sports movies we have seen a few that come away leaving some inspiration, Rocky of course comes to mind along with Rudy (also true story) and a few more I could list. Now Ron Howard has brought us a surprisingly heart touching movie to us in Cinderella Man the true story of a depression era boxer who had fallen on hard times. Howard does a masterful job of putting the viewer deep inside the lives of James Braddock and his family. Starting with Braddock winning a fight before the crash of 29 and 4 years later living in a basement apartment struggling to not only feed his kids but keep the lights and the heat going in a time when everyone needed a little uplifting! Braddock pulls off the comeback of a generation when he is given a chance to fight on only 1 days notice only to stun the world by winning his fight! That was the start of a boxing run that had a whole nation pulling for the unlikely Braddock. He wins his way to a title shot against the champion Max Baer who didn't give his opponent a chance and got upset in a unanimous decision! I also want to mention the wonderful job the Paul Giamatti and Renée Zellweger do as Braddock's wife and manager! If you want to watch a truly inspiring movie that happens to be a true story Cinderella Man is a for you!