Million Dollar Baby was certainly one of the best pictures of 2004

Rating: 10/10 (5 January 2008)

I've now seen this movie twice. The first time was in the theatre after it won the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Actress (Hilary Swank), and Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman). The last was hours ago on HD DVD with my parents. My dad thought it dragged a little while my mom thought it was about more than boxing and liked the slow passages. In between the drama with the three stars, there's some humor involving Clint and Morgan as well as with Morgan and some of the other boxing hopefuls including a really enthusiastic kid who initially calls Freeman the "N" word but says he doesn't really mean it. Morgan's character also narrates the story in what is revealed to be a letter to Eastwood's long-estranged daughter who we never see. The movie does take its own sweet time and makes Paul Haggis' dialogue shine throughout. Since I've only seen one of the other Best Picture Oscar nominees of 2004 (The Aviator), I can't judge if this was indeed the finest of that year. However, Million Dollar Baby was certainly one of the most compelling.