not so dark

Rating: 9/10 (20 February 2005)

Million Dollar Baby is a wonderfully complex morality tale. The crux of the movie is Scrap-Iron's reminder to a despondent Frankie that, unlike most folks, Maggie had her shot, thanks to Frankie, and took it. She's a noble figure, as are Frankie Dunn and Scrap-Iron Dupris, and Million Dollar Baby is a great movie. Frankie Dunn reminds me of Dr. Larch in Cider House Rules, a moral man in an immoral world. Though I do not believe in assisted suicide or abortion, I cannot fault either Frankie Dunn or Dr. Larch; because I do not know what I would do in their circumstances. Isn't that the point of drama -- to create a reality that questions our comfortable assumptions about life? A friend of mine screened this movie and decided it would not be appropriate for kids because it was too "disturbing." I believe this movie is disturbing in a good way and that preventing kids from seeing it would be "protecting" them from a valuable lesson.