The Best Picture of the Year!

Rating: 10/10 (2 April 2005)

On the outside 'Million Dollar Baby' seems like a boxing picture, but it's really a character study of the three characters involved (played expertly by Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman). Before I saw the film, I thought it was going to be a tacky and sappy girl boxing movie, but it wasn't. I find even after I've seen it, it's hard to convince people the film is not like that, and it's not a conventional formulaic boxing film like Rocky, but that it is something a hell of a lot deeper. After seeing the film for a second time, I found that it really has no weak points other then being a little slow towards the beginning (which was essential in order to tell the story correctly.) Clint Eastwood not only does an outstanding job directing this soon-to-be-classic, but he also produces the film, composes a spellbinding musical score, and gives his very best screen performance as Frankie Dunn, a down-on-his-luck boxing manager who decides to take on a wannabe female boxer. Morgan Freeman provides us with a quiet yet extremely effective performance as Frankie's long-time friend and partner. Not only does Freeman play this part, but his character narrates the story, so the whole movie is told from this character's perspective. The on-screen chemistry between Eastwood and Freeman is too incredible for words, a chemistry that was only once before seen in 1992's Best Picture winner 'Unforgiven', that was also made by Eastwood. The best performance of the film obviously comes from Hilary Swank as the average trailer-trash restaurant waitress who's one true passion is for boxing. Swank delivers a tour-de-force performance, and along with Eastwood it's also her best on-screen acting performance. Ms. Swank knows her character very well, and it shows that she didn't just memorize the lines of the character, but she embodied the character. Overall, when you see the film you don't see the three actors, but the characters they portray. 'Million Dollar Baby' is my choice for Best Picture, along with the Oscars for Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score. However I think Hilary Swank shouldn't be awarded Best Actress, that title belongs to Imelda Staunton who gave definitely one of the best female performances I have ever or probably will ever see in my life in Mike Leigh's 'Vera Drake'. Grade: A (Review written 1/25/04; retrieved from metacritic.com ; screened at Harkins Cine Capri at Scottsdale 101, Scottsdale, Arizona)
MADE MY TOP 300 LIST AT #20