I wanted to love this movie, but I couldn't...

Rating: Null/10 (1 March 2005)

My son and daughter-in-law dragged me to see Million Dollar Baby. My son works in the film industry and is hard to impress, so whenever he is excited about a movie, I expect great things from it. Maybe it was the genre. I think men beating each other up is just senseless, so maybe women beating each other up was just too much for me. The movie felt very "Movie of the Week" to me. From the time the Blue Bear came on the screen, I knew that she was going to kill Maggie. I didn't know how or when it would happen, and the thematic element of her paralysis was a surprise, but I wasn't surprised by the solution. I have a couple of friends who have had to make that decision for loved ones. Maybe that's why the action Frankie took didn't shock me. I cry at MacDonald's commercials, but I was only really choked up the first time Maggie went in the ring with her Mo Cuchla (sp?) robe. I should have been a puddle. I adore Morgan Freeman and he was lovely to watch as always. Hilary Swank was brilliant, and so was Clint Eastwood. The cinematography was beautiful, yet, I was strangely unmoved by the film. I'm not sure what went wrong. Maybe it was the hype. Maybe it was the feeling I had from the beginning that Maggie was looking for her own death. Tragic things happen to wonderful people every day, but she chose her tragedy. Maybe it was her stock hillbilly family, one dimensional and stupid. I really wanted to respect this movie as much as I respect Boys Don't Cry, but sadly, I couldn't. I plan to see it again. Maybe when I'm not wondering how she'll die, I'll be able to appreciate the story more.