Cinderella Man
In 2005, Howard directed the biographical sports drama "Cinderella Man" based on the true story of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock played by Russell Crowe. The film also starred Renée Zellweger as his wife Mae Braddock, and Paul Giamatti as his trainer Joe Gould. Rotten Tomatoes gave it an approval rating of 80% based on reviews from 214 critics with an average score of 7.4/10. Its consensus states, "With grittiness and an evocative sense of time and place, "Cinderella Man" is a powerful underdog story. And Ron Howard and Russell Crowe prove to be a solid combination."