Easily the best mainstream Hollywood drama so far this year.
Cinderella Man (2005)
Tomatometer
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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
Reviews for Cinderella Man
Kudos to the excellent Paul Giamatti as well as Craig Bierko, Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill and Canadian veterans Chuck Shamata (the priest) and Nicholas Campbell (the sports columnist).
[T]here’s an undeniable power to Cinderella Man, and it’s down to the intense and gripping performances of Russell Crowe... and Paul Giamatti...
If there were ever any doubt that Russell Crowe is the greatest screen actor of his generation, Cinderella Man should put matters to rest.
This is an utterly predictable, thoroughly manipulative and thunderously obvious movie. I wouldn't change a frame of it.
While some of its boxing scenes are brutal, 'Cinderella Man' is more about hope and the positive values of life.
Howard has got but a single message to deliver here -- boxer Braddock as the populist American hero of the Depression era — and he beats us over the head with his uplifting haymaker until we're crumbled on the canvas and crying for mercy.
We're in an almost irony-free zone, where everything is exactly as it seems, and no subtexts are available for subtext-fanatics.
Howard sees Braddock's story in simple, black-and-white terms; Howard loves Braddock because there's nothing not to like. Viewers who remember Max Baer may, however, take issue with the way the film treats this charismatic fighter.
Ron Howard's Depression-era ode to second chances and noble contests, filmed here last summer, is not just another boxing movie or just another picture. It's a completely absorbing and artfully made fairy tale that just so happens to be true.
Pardon its dust, and you'll be rewarded with a moving story of a time gone by, and of an unexpected hero.
Cinderella Man is the most heartfelt boxing drama because it is more than a boxing story.
If you can imagine Frank Capra doing his version of Raging Bull, you’ve got a good idea of what Cinderella Man is like.
Oscar host Chris Rock was on to something when he suggested that only Russell Crowe should be allowed to star in Hollywood period films.
In lesser hands, Braddock could seem a bit dull or unimaginative. But Crowe revels in subtle character detail, making Braddock real. Crowe projects the complex gravitas of a person of depth as well as decency.
For Crowe, it adds to the winning streak that started with L.A. Confidential and has continued virtually unabated since, and is marked by smart choices and solid performances.
With Russell Crowe in literal fighting trim and a splendid supporting cast, this is a boxing pic built on classic lines, and one of the best movies of the summer.
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