Acting & Production Top Notch- Story Not

Rating: 1/10 (10 August 2005)

This film may have been the best picture of last year according to the awards people, but last year was not a great film year. There have been better years & better best pictures. Clint Eastwood has become a master of timing releasing his pictures just in time to be considered for Oscars.
Qudos to the acting & production qualities of this film. The ending would cause me to have 3 hankies except for the fact that the script does not generate enough emotion for me to care about the characters enough. Something is missing in that Hillary Duff's character does not reach me enough in this script to make me care about what happens to her.
The best comparison to make to this film is the classic film ROCKY. In that film, your pulled in because you can relate to the underdog a lot and in his humanity. You really care about Rocky. While Duff's performance is top notch, the script does not rise to the level of ROCKY in that it really does not achieve the same emotional attachment to her. Will the soon to be released Rocky sequel rise above this film? It could & still not get best picture as the original already has won it. Million Dollar Baby has already been forgotten since 2004 by a lot of viewers in the same way that many will never know Cleveland won the 2000 Super Bowl(?)(For the history buff- the St. Louis Rams were originally the Cleveland Rams when they won their first Championship in 1945.)
The films ending comes off as flat and predictable because of the script. This film is above average in camera work, direction, & acting, but the weakness of the script to me is the main thing that stops it from being a great film. You could tell Duff's character was going to have a tragic end almost at the beginning of the film, which is why the viewer can't get emotionally involved.