Million Dollar Baby is a Statement Movie

Rating: Null/10 (19 February 2005)

The last time I posted a review on this site was about the movie, "The Cider House Rules." I wrote at that time that that movie took an absolutely extreme example of a controversial subject, abortion, and made a statement in support of the practice. The same thing happens in this movie.
The statement here concerned "euthanasia." Obviously this is a controversial subject and the religious conservatives oppose the practice in all cases. So this movie builds a situation whereby almost anyone would accept that euthanasia might be acceptable, even to the point of doing it as an act of love by one who gambles his soul to carry out the deed.
The vast majority of moviegoers will never even be aware of this message as was the case for abortion in "The Cider House Rules." But the message is there and is just one more attempt by Hollywood to propagandize a position on a moral issue to make it seem that the religious folks can be wrong.
The viewer can make up his own mind about the subject of euthanasia but Hollywood does not attempt to make it clear that there is a moral issue at stake here. It does present the church side of the issue but in a very subdued manner without much argument in opposition to mercy killing.