Best Picture? More Like BS Picture!

Rating: 1/10 (29 June 2006)

When I first heard of this movie, I thought it would be another Rocky, which would have been just fine with me. But instead, I was treated with a film that was nothing but cliché after cliché. When Clint Eastwood says, "Girlie,tough ain't enough", I just groaned to myself. He then says, " I don't train girls", you then just know he was going to train her. Also, any time that Clint's at church, you know why he's there. He pretends to be a pain in the ass, but really wants salvation from his isolation from his daughter. All of these build up to the title fight, where Hilary Swank is tragically injured. Also, not to be too big a nitpicker, but her opponent would have disqualified for punching her while she was down, no ref would allow that. Once the fight is over, the film absolutely goes into the ground for me. Hilary Swank is injured, her spine broken, along with her spirit. She goes through the motions, leaning to use a wheelchair, getting out of bed, etc. She then has a "visit" from her family, who just wants her money(cliché alert!). The movie then just barely whirs along, until finally, just as Clint's character offers to get Hilary Swank a wheelchair, so she can continue on in life, maybe even go to college. Instead of accepting this kind offer, the writers of this film, decide it would be better for her to die just because she is disabled. The reasoning being, that of course, she can't do what she wants to do, so she should just give up. This attitude towards people with disabilities is a shallow one, that displays a lack of knowledge about people with disabilities. Even if she can't box, that does not give her the right to die. I have a disability that, in a way, i acquired during my life. This prevented me from baseball, my first love. But I took my new life, embraced it, and I now play wheelchair basketball for a nationally ranked team. This movie shows that people with disabilities are helpless, with nothing to add to society. If any would like to discuss this movie with me, I welcome any emails. Thank you for taking the time to read my review. email: gamecubergoogle@yahoo.com