I was never bored...

Rating: 6/10 (8 August 2005)

If you are a fan of the movies, and you probably are since you have come to IMDb and are reading movie reviews, then you will probably not be bored during Million Dollar Baby. The story and the characters are interesting enough to keep your attention and I didn't have any issues with the pace of the movie, but this was a fairly average movie. What was well done? The performances by Clint Eastwood, Hillary Swank and Morgan Freeman were superior and easily the best part of the film. I'm not entirely sure why Morgan Freeman decided to rasp his already deep voice for the film as it was unnecessary. Lighting was used very effectively throughout enhancing the dark nature of the film. Other than those facets, I had a few problems with the movie.
Perhaps I would not be so disappointed had this film not won the award for best picture. I don't understand the fascination with Clint Eastwood in Hollywood. He is an excellent actor, but his directorial skills are pretty average. He doesn't do anything particularly unique to enhance a movie or tell the story in a different way.
It seems to me that he also missed an opportunity in the movie. Since the story centers on loneliness and love and opportunity, he could have used silence effectively. That being said, the entire narration of the movie could be eliminated in favor of silence and the movie may have been a little more powerful. There were also several unrealistic points in the movie, such as certain occurrences in the boxing matches and in his conversations with the priest that just wouldn't happen in normal situations.
This movie was okay. It wasn't great and it wasn't horrible - definitely not best picture worthy.