If it's a "love or hate" movie, I loved it. Maybe Eastwood's best?

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2008)

MDB is a movie I adored when I saw it when it was released - even though my expectations weren't too high despite the raving press reviews, as I'm not interested in boxing. Seeing it again recently on DVD I loved it as much.
So I've sifted through the (quite numerous) "hated it" IMDb reviews to try to understand why so many people didn't share my sense of wonderment at what I think is another Eastwood masterpiece. Apparently bad reviews fall in 3 categories: - people who were expecting a boxing movie (Rocky VI) and were disappointed. I can respect that but hey, what can I say? Wrong expectations. - people who disapprove of euthanasia, or who don't like sad movies altogether. Thats' OK, "tous les goûts sont dans la nature" (there's no accounting for taste?) - lastly, quite a lot of people -obviously cinephiles, some of them even Eastwood-fans (as a director) thought the movie was clichéd (simplistic plot, bad dialogue, stereotype characters, etc). Well, I can respect that - probably the movie IS clichéd and simplistic. Clint Eastwood the director has sometimes been compared to John Ford, because his art as a director goes right to the heart of the matter (the heart of human nature?) despite/through a deceptive simplicity. Maybe being foreign (ie French) had something to do with the fact I didn't find the dialogs corny, as some people apparently did, or wasn't annoyed by the "Southern White Trash" portrayal.
Anyway... I just thought (still think) MDB is an absolutely wonderful movie, moving beyond description. It's compassionate but not melodramatic, it's beautifully directed and acted. It's a story of people who try to reach for the end of the rainbow, and ultimately fail - a parable of human condition, depending on your metaphysical outlook. Personnaly I can't think of something more moving or beautiful to spend 2-some hours with.