Noble, yet flawed effort from Clint Eastwood

Rating: 7/10 (5 March 2012)

From this director I have seen GRAN TORINO and UNFORGIVEN, both of which are exceptional movies, and after both of those tours-de-forces I must admit that my review may be a bit harder than if I had not seen those films. MILLION DOLLAR BABY is indeed quite flawed in many ways. For one thing, I really have no idea why Morgan Freeman is in this, because his character seems to serve no other purpose than being a narrator (which is unfortunately what the man seems to be most famous for these days). However, this is without a doubt a very good, and for one useless supporting character, we have two very well-written main characters.
At this point I would usually write some sort of light summary of the plot, but it is very hard to do this for MILLION DOLLAR BABY without giving away a very interesting plot twist. And it is this twist that will either make or ruin the movie for most people. All that one needs to know is that this is about boxing and the will to be the best. Mostly.
The main problem with this film is that some of the drama feels clichéd and forced, which is interesting because the film is at its best when its doing exactly the opposite: being unpredictable. The result is a film that feels a little uneven. Nonetheless, this is a satisfying watch.
Recommended to people who don't mind depressing dramas.