Ranks among the all-time heavyweights of sports movies.
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:220
Fresh:201
Rotten:19
Average Rating:8.3/10
Consensus: Critics are calling Clint Eastwood's latest a knockout, with fine performances and filmmaking that elevate clichéd material to new emotional heights.
Runtime: 2 hrs 12 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Released a little over a year after the grand success of his Oscar-winning feature MYSTIC RIVER, Clint Eastwood returns to the director's chair for MILLION DOLLAR BABY. Eastwood also stars, in the... Released a little over a year after the grand success of his Oscar-winning feature MYSTIC RIVER, Clint Eastwood returns to the director's chair for MILLION DOLLAR BABY. Eastwood also stars, in the role of Frankie Dunn, a down-on-his-luck former boxing manager who spends the twilight years of his life running a small, dilapidated gym in downtown Los Angeles. Frankie's previous career was blighted by an injury to one of his prize fighters, Scrap (Morgan Freeman), who lost the sight in his right eye during a particularly brutal bout; Scrap now wiles away the hours working as a cleaner in Frankie's gym. Wary of similar occurrences being inflicted on the prestigious young talent that passes before him, Frankie lets a succession of great boxers slip through his fingers. But when the brash, confident young boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) strides into the gym, Frankie's life is irretrievably altered. Initially refusing to train Maggie due to her gender and age, Frankie relents when faced with her tenacity, spirit, and burning ambition. The combination of Maggie's talent and Frankie's tutelage paves the way for the adroit fighter to rise steadily through the ranks of women's boxing, with the unlikely coupling forming a genuinely touching bond in the process. Clint Eastwood has crafted a boxing film fit to stand alongside classics such as RAGING BULL and ROCKY with MILLION DOLLAR BABY. The scenes between Eastwood and Freeman are a delight to watch, with the two old hands pulling off masterfully understated performances as a couple of men teetering on the brink of failure. Likewise, Swank puts in a powerful turn as Maggie, further emphasizing her penchant for unusual roles, and perhaps even bettering her incredible, Oscar-winning showing as Teena Brandon in BOYS DON'T CRY. [More]
Starring: Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood, Jay Baruchel
Starring: Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood, Jay Baruchel, Christina Cox
Director: Clint Eastwood
Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriter: Paul Haggis
Producer: Tom Rosenberg, Albert S. Ruddy, Paul Haggis, Clint Eastwood
Composer: Clint Eastwood
Studio: Warner Bros.
Reviews for Million Dollar Baby
This film is a dramatic powerhouse, thanks to a jarring third act that explores themes far darker than 'overcoming adversity' or 'going the distance.'
At 74 and directing his 25th film, (Clint) Eastwood just keeps getting better behind the camera.
It's above average. But it ain’t the greatest of the year. Sorry, Clint.
Driven by characters etched deeper than the lines in Clint Eastwood's face, Million Dollar Baby is a quiet triumph for its director and star.
It is a gritty, funny, moving tale of taking risks, taking stands and facing the consequences. And it alternately feels way too familiar and surprises us as it stakes out its thematic territory and then takes a huge, provocative risk of its own.
It's strange that so many have mistaken its dull sincerity for something profound and moving.
For all its pretensions to elevating the genre, is seldom more than just another boxing movie.
While we’ve come to expect a certain Spartan beauty to the look and feel of Clint Eastwood’s films, here he plumbs new emotional depths as both an actor and director.
A thematically inconsistent and dramatically unsatisfying false idol that has been strangely elevated to the level of Clint Eastwood's actual masterpieces.
Lulls you to sleep in its familiar rhythms and genre checkpoints, methodically - almost secretly - working its way toward a knockout conclusion.
... Has caused people to take note for the best reason of all: it is a brilliant film.
Though Million Dollar Baby weighs in as another solid entry on Eastwood's resume, Paul Haggis's script stages a fixed fight.
Eastwood is the ultimate sparring partner when it comes to his latest prize-winning knockout Baby...displays its badge of cynicism and quiet despair
It’s what Eastwood does with “Million Dollar Baby” that makes it worth as many accolades.
Haunting, provocative and overwhelmingly moving, Million Dollar Baby is a magnificent work from a masterful filmmaker who keeps delivering hat trick after hat trick.
Million Dollar Baby is a masterful piece of work by Eastwood that stays with you long after leaving the theater.
Latest News for Million Dollar Baby
August 21, 2009:
Billy Bob Thornton Weighs Pound for Pound ![]()
Billy Bob Thornton will play a retired boxer whose life takes an unexpected turn in Ron Shelton's "Pound for Pound," an adaptation of the book by "Million Dollar Baby" author... More...
March 20, 2008:
Clint Eastwood Directing, Starring in Gran Torino
For a guy who's continually rumored to be done with acting, Clint Eastwood is doing a pretty good job of staying busy in front of the camera. More...
May 24, 2007:
Screenwriter Paul Haggis Enticed Back to "Bond 22"
If you liked "Casino Royale," (and who didn't?) you'll be happy to know that the screenwriting trio is now back in action for the 22nd Bond flick. More...
February 26, 2007:
How Does "The Departed" Rank Among Oscar's Best?
So Martin Scorsese finally has his long-overdue, much-deserved Oscar. But where does "The Departed" stack up in the annals of Academy history? More...
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