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Movies / On DVD / Cinderella Man
Cinderella Man

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Cinderella Man (2005)

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Reviews Counted:200

Fresh:160

Rotten:40

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: 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.

Runtime: 2 hrs 25 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Academy Award®-winning producer Brian Grazer, director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (all Oscar® winners for 2001's A Beautiful Mind) are reunited with Oscar® winner Russell Crowe for... Academy Award®-winning producer Brian Grazer, director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (all Oscar® winners for 2001's A Beautiful Mind) are reunited with Oscar® winner Russell Crowe for the Universal Pictures-Miramax Films-Imagine Entertainment production, Cinderella Man. Starring opposite Crowe is two-time Oscar® nominee Renée Zellweger. Crowe stars in the story inspired by the life of legendary athlete Jim Braddock, a once-promising light heavyweight boxer forced into retirement after a string of losses in the ring. As the nation enters the darkest years of the Great Depression, Braddock accepts a string of dead-end jobs to support his wife, Mae (Renée Zellweger), and their children, while never totally abandoning his dream of boxing again. Thanks to a last minute cancellation, Braddock finds himself back in the ring against the second-ranked world contender--and to everyone's amazement, Braddock wins in the third round. Despite being pounds lighter than his opponents and repeated injuries to his hands, Braddock continues to fight against challengers and win. Carrying on his shoulders the hopes and dreams of the disenfranchised masses, Braddock, dubbed the "Cinderella Man," faces his toughest challenger in Max Baer (Craig Bierko), the heavyweight champion of the world, renowned for having killed two men in the ring. Cinderella Man stars Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger and Craig Bierko; is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Penny Marshall; is written by Cliff Hollingsworth, C. Gaby Mitchell, Akiva Goldsman; and is directed by Ron Howard. The film is a Universal Pictures/Miramax Films co-production of an Imagine Entertainment presentation, with Universal Pictures distributing domestically and Buena Vista International handling the international distribution of the film for Miramax. [More]

Starring: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko

Starring: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Bruce McGill, Paddy Considine

Director: Ron Howard

Director: Ron Howard
Screenwriter: Ron Howard, Akiva Goldsman, Cliff Hollingsworth
Producer: Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Penny Marshall, Todd Hallowell
Composer: Thomas Newman
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Reviews for Cinderella Man

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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The events are strong enough to keep us gripped, even though the writing and direction are flat and bland.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
06/09/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Crowe is at his best in the ring and while it's hardly surprising that he's a convincing bruiser, he also manages to make a rather one-note character compelling.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
08/16/05
Nev Pierce
Nev Pierce
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The fight scenes have a stinging authenticity and, although at 144 minutes it outstays its welcome, this is Howard’s best film since Apollo 13

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Mark Salisbury
Mark Salisbury
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Handsome, manipulative, simplistic. It packs an uplift that bludgeons you into submission.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
07/31/08
Leigh Singer
Leigh Singer
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's Seabiscuit with fists. Enjoyable, well-made, heartwarming Best Picture fodder that overcomes its achingly predictable story thanks to Oscar-worthy performances from Crowe and Giamatti.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
09/10/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

The Best Actor Oscar race starts now.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/07/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Mature and unsentimental. Crowe’s commitment to truthful acting triumphs along with Bierko’s breakout role as his tormenter.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment Comment
05/30/05
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

The changes made to Baer's personality simply strike me as unnecessary here, not to mention poor filmmaking.

Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
07/05/05
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic

I only wish Howard could have shaped this and the other performances a little, toning them down or leaving a bit of a rough edge.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Howard's movie skillfully delivers that primal, heart-pounding satisfaction that is the promise of all boxing tales.

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
11/01/07
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek

An endearing story that will keep you at the edge of your seat, the edge of a cheer, the edge of a tear.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
06/02/05
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

At the center of all this richness is another irresistible star turn by Crowe. As his Oscar-winning performance in Gladiator proved, no contemporary actor is better at conveying an uncluttered personal integrity and nobility of spirit.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
06/02/05
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Rings of formula but has moxie to spare.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/31/05
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

Es un cuento de hadas necesario para el cinéfilo que tiene que padecer películas pretenciosas o agresivas. El mundo necesita héroes, aunque sean de celuloide.

Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
11/26/05
Jorge Avila Andrade
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola

Crowe delivers powerful punch. "Cinderella Man" first Oscar-contender of the year.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
06/02/05
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

Ron Howard and Russell Crowe have once again combined their efforts to create a big Hollywood biopic that exudes the strong whiff of Oscar bait.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
06/05/05
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

The specifics of past-due notices and hunger pains are as important to Howard's story as the prizefights and the period detail.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
06/03/05
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Its charms are skin-deep and rote, technically proficient and signifying very little.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
06/02/05
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

It lands a few solid punches, but never achieves anything close to a knock-out.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
05/24/05
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Braddock only wants another shot at boxing to buy milk for the kids. Cue the heavenly choir.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
06/03/05
Jami Bernard
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News
 
 
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