The most over-rated movie since Shakespeare In Love

Rating: 1/10 (26 February 2005)

I can't understand all the praise this movie has been getting. I think it's a case of jumping on the bandwagon for many of the critics. It seems like nobody wants to say anything bad about it just because Clint Eastwood is the director and star.
Where does this "great relationship" people talk about between the boxer and the trainer come from? I sure didn't see it developing during the movie. And what did Clint Eastwood do that merits a nomination for best actor? All he does is walk around, bear his teeth and growl. The only satisfying scene in the movie is when she refuses to sign the papers that would give her low-life family control of her finances and tells them to get lost. And then even that is negated by the ending which leaves her family getting all her money anyway. And what about the legal mess he leaves behind? After he kills her and disappears isn't there an investigation? And what happens with his gym?
People keep saying this isn't a boxing movie and they're sure right about that. I don't think there's more than ten minutes of boxing in it. There are few training sequences of more than two minutes. She just goes from someone that doesn't know how to hit a speed bag to someone ready for a shot at the title. All we here is that "it's almost like someone has been helping her". I would like to have learned something about the women's boxing circuit but they don't tell us anything about that either.
What was the purpose the whole sub-plot with the mentally challenged guy that keeps coming to the gym and getting laughed at by the other boxers? Was it just there to provide Morgan Freeman with his big scene of decking the bully?
The critics all talk about how great Hilary Swank's performance is but there must be a dozen actresses in Hollywood that could have done it just as well or better. Also they don't mention that for the last third of the movie she is flat oh her back with a tube sticking out of her throat.
Needless to say I will be hoping that by some miracle one of the other nominated movies will take the Oscar for best picture. I'm not holding my breath though, this is the same academy that picked Shakespeare In Love over Saving Private Ryan a few years ago.