Probably wouldn't crack my top 50 of 2004

Rating: 7/10 (31 January 2005)

I don't understand all the praise. Sure, it's a pretty good movie, but it's flat, obvious, and not at all memorable. Eastwood's last film, Mystic River, was ten times better. Hilary Swank plays a boxer who persists in trying to get trainer Clint Eastwood to make her his student. He finally does accept her, especially after his friend, Morgan Freeman, who works as a janitor in his gym, convinces him of her talent. Most of the movie is a pretty straightforward boxing drama. Swank and Eastwood become each other's surrogate father and daughter, both making up for lost loved ones (Swank's father is dead, and Eastwood's daughter refuses to talk to him). The final act adds a tearjerker. There is also a poorly developed subplot about a few of the regulars at Eastwood's gym. It's slow, but mostly entertaining. Swank is good, but nowhere near the level that she hit with Boys Don't Cry. It's impossible to believe that Eastwood got nominated, especially over Paul Giamatti for Sideways. His direction is fine, but he can barely speak. Plus, he's so old it looks like his skeleton is trying to escape from his body. Morgan Freeman isn't especially great in his supporting role. He can't speak clearly, either. He narrates the film, and it can often be very hard to understand him. Million Dollar Baby is worth seeing, but it certainly isn't award-worthy. 7/10.