A Perfect Film

Rating: 10/10 (29 January 2008)

After having watched this movie for probably the tenth time, I feel compelled to shout my love for it from a mountain top (or at least, from the IMDb commentary page)! "Million Dollar Baby" is a masterpiece in all possible respects. The brilliant screenplay could in no way be improved upon. The story is beautiful, gritty, sweet, tragic, warmly funny at times, and profound. The method of delivery as the story is written (which we find out at the end), is not merely icing on the cake, it's like lightning striking a crate of fireworks stored in the viewer's heart.
The acting is impeccably understated, as it should be. I watched it this last time trying to imagine how it would have played if the lines were said differently, by anyone else. (I'm a movie dork, I know.) It could have come off as really schmaltzy and melodramatic if the actors hadn't been so very sensitive, and the direction hadn't been right on key.
Speaking of direction, I suppose it's time we mentioned one Sir (he must be a "Sir" by now, mustn't he? Dude's an artistic genius after all...) Clint Eastwood. Not only did he bring the ideal combination of crotchetiness and underlying tenderness to the roll of "Frankie", aka "Boss", with his acting, not only did he direct (gently--I've heard he's the favorite director of all actors) the gifted Oscar-Winners Hilary Swank and (the incomparable) Morgan Freeman to do their finest, he actually composed the emotionally resonant soundtrack!
I find myself torn between wanting to prostrate (not prostate, that's something else altogether) myself before Mr. Eastwood, and wanting to slap him upside the head for being so darn talented... Bastard. (Just kidding!) My only disappointment was that he didn't win the Oscar for Best Actor.
This film is not for the faint of heart. I went in thinking it would be like "Rocky". It was, for the majority of it... then it took a most unexpected dramatic turn. I loved "Rocky", but "Million Dollar Baby" is an entirely different animal: an animal to be reckoned with, and an animal to be loved.