Posted on 01/14/2005 12:49:16 AM PST by kattracks
"Million Dollar Baby” will win the Academy Awards.
Not because it’s the Best Picture. But because it’s Hollywood’s best political propaganda of the year. More effective than “Fahrenheit 911.”
Think “Baby” is about Rocky in a sports-bra—as it’s being marketed? You’ve fallen for the “Million Dollar” lie. What it’s really about, has nothing to do with Rocky Balboa or boxing. That’s just the cover story to suck movie-goers in for a nefarious message.
“Baby”—which has critics gushing all over each other—is a two-hour, twenty-minute exercise in subtle and then not-so-subtle left-wing diatribe.
If you plan to see the movie and don’t want to read a spoiler, stop here.
If you want to know the truth and save your ten bucks, keep reading.
“Million Dollar Baby” will win the Oscar because it supports killing the handicapped, literally putting their lights out.
It features legendary Dirty Harry, Clint Eastwood, as its director and star. For roughly the first half, viewers are tricked – thinking they are watching a movie about a champion boxer in the making, who just happens to be female.
Even those who find women’s sports to be freakish sideshows of little interest, are rooting for Maggie Fitzgerald (Hillary Swank) to overcome her trailer-
trash background and become women’s Welterweight champion of the world.
But they’ve been defrauded, manipulated into what appears to be “The Champ” with estrogen, but is really a promotional ad for the Netherland’s euthanasia policy. Movie critics—most of whom are complicit in this deception—only hint at this “unexpected, surprise twist.”
“Baby” begins with the hillbilly Maggie trying to learn boxing and get gym-owner/trainer/manager Frankie (Eastwood) to train her. At first, he resists, saying he doesn’t train girls. “Women boxing—that’s a freak show, and freaks are in. I’m sure you’ll find someone else to train you,” he tells her. Besides, at 31, she’s too old to become a great boxer.
But then, he loses his champion boxer to another boxing manager, and he takes Maggie on. Soon, she’s winning fights all over the place, with instant knock-outs, and Frank and Maggie develop a surrogate-father/daughter relationship. Maggie’s so good she’s in the Women’s Welterweight championship fight in Vegas with a million-dollar pot to split.
Maggie, on the verge of winning the fight, gets blindsided and knocked-out cold. She hits her head so hard on the stool in the corner of the ring, she’s knocked unconscious.
And that’s where we learn what this movie is really about. Maggie is paralyzed, a quadriplegic who loses a leg to infection – of sound mind, but almost a vegetable. And since she can’t fight—she can’t even move—the proverbial “her life isn’t worth living” message is hammered home.
To make the message as black and white as possible, Maggie isn’t just a hillbilly with no future outside boxing. She’s from a broken home, with family members in prison, a mother defrauding welfare and Medicaid, and the standard trailerhome. Her abusive family is only after Maggie’s money. They don’t care about her, nor does anyone in the world. So, as a quadriplegic, her life isn’t worth living.
Then there’s the religion excuse. Maggie is eventually euthanized (a sanitized word for “murdered”) by trainer/surrogate-father Frankie. A devout, but questioning, Catholic, he attends mass every day. He is no common sinner without a conscience. He’s the perfect Hollywood murderer of the weak – a whole lot more sympathetic than real-life mercy killers a la Dr. Kevorkian.
Janitors and waitresses die every day, thinking “I never got my shot,” Frankie is told by right-hand man, former boxer Eddie (Morgan Freeman). It’s better for Maggie to die now, having made it to such a high point in her life—the Women’s Welterweight title fight—than for her to face a life of anti-climactic paralysis. Since she's only from a trailer park anyway, her life is expendable.
Sickening.
“Baby’s” version of euthanasia seems honorable and heroic—a sort of noblesse oblige for the 2000s. But imagine if the real-life euthanized, victims of the Nazis and the Netherlands, were the “Million Dollar Babies” instead of a pathetic, washed up female boxer from the trailer park.
The Nazis victims didn’t just include six million Jews. They murdered the handicapped and infirm, some as handicapped as “Baby’s” Maggie. The handicapped, a burden on society and flaw in the master race, weren’t entitled to live, the Nazis posited. That disturbing message is more palatable when the victim is “Baby’s” broken female Rocky with no future, and a likeable religious father-figure is the euthanasia-committing hero.
Then there’s today’s Netherlands. The country that values its legalized prostitutes and drugs has little value for human life.
Anyone can be murdered by their doctors at the request of family members. There is no requirement the patient’s condition be terminal or the suffering be physical. Thousands of innocents are euthanized each year at the request of greedy or neglectful spouses and family. The slippery slope has begun.
Why can’t Warner Brothers—“Baby’s” distributor—say what the movie’s really about, glorifying euthanasia? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that no-one wants to go see a depressing movie with such stark politicking. Americans want to see positive movies, not be exploited. They think they’re going to see one here. But they’ve been duped. “Million Dollar Baby” is nothing more than a multi-million dollar fraud.
Sorry, Dirty Harry. This time, you didn’t make my day.
Boxing Helena -- there's a movie title I never thought I'd see again.
role
Because it wasn't?
I saw the movie yesterday and while I thought that it was very good, I wouldn't say it was the best movie I've seen this year. Take three actors the caliber of Eastwood, Freeman, and Swank, add a director like Eastwood, and a decent story line and you can't help but have a good movie. Does that make it worthy of the Oscar? I don't think so. I went in expecting to see a good movie, and I came out knowing I had seen a good movie. No surprise. A couple of weeks ago I went to see "Finding Neverland" not expecting a whole lot, and I walked out of there knowing that I had just seen the best movie I saw all year. Total surprise, wonderful cast, unbelievable acting on the part of Depp and the younger boy actor. I think that's what makes an Oscar winning movie, one that exceeds your expectations. "Million Dollar Baby" just didn't accomplish that.
That's what killed me about Driving Miss Daisy. I saw it on video after it won Best Picture, and while it was good, when Morgan Freeman is feeding Jessica Tandy at the end, and it faded out, I didn't think it was over. But it was. In a living room full of family and friends, I said, "That's IT?" and thought that I would be criticized, but a lot of other people in the room felt the same way.
Ditto Forrest Gump. I have been a fan of director Robert Zemeckis since his first feature, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, and think Used Cars is one of the most underrated comedies ever. Back to the Future made me buy a car that looks just a little like a DeLorean. But Gump didn't do it for me -- especially Tom Hanks' final tearjerking eulogy to Gump's mother (Sally Field, who didn't look ill when she died). Needless to say, I was wary of Cast Away, with Zemeckis and Tom Hanks teaming up again, but I was floored. Cast Away was everything I expected Gump to be. Too bad it didn't win Best Picture.
Sometimes a movie gets so built up it is hard for it to live up to expectations. I saw Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator both were very good, but didn't exceed expectations. I think this is more because of the nature of how movies are pushed.
I agree though I didn't find it to be glorifying euthanasia.
I'm serious. If you want to see a movie that will exceed all expectations then go see "Finding Neverland". It was just incredible.
I imagine I will have to wait until it comes out on video but I will be seeing it. I am a huge Johnny Depp fan regardless of politics.
How incredibly juvenile you are. Do you have a little bumper sticker on your car which reads "Question Authority!"
CHILL OUT!!
Please DON'T "chill out" or discontinue posting the very informative pieces like the above.
I have to agree with you. I saw this in the theater a couple of days ago and I wanted to shout at the screen "YOU WORTHLESS SERVANT OF GOD!"
I'm not a Catholic, but director Eastwood's portrayal of the priest was ludicrous. Another cheap trick to gain sympathy for his conflicted character's dilemma.
Sometimes a movie is just a movie.
Dated Dec. 25, 2004. I also think that I posted it here on FR at that time.
"........recent release of "Million Dollar Baby," the new Clint Eastwood film that trailers artfully convey as an endearing “relationship” movie between a gritty boxing manager and an even grittier female boxer wannabe, a sort of million-to-one-odds story that, viewers were assured, would have them in for a good ole sentimental cry – perfect for the Christmas season."
"David Sterritt of the Christian Science Monitor rhapsodized that the "love story" … towers over other year-end movies." It’s a very hard movie to review, he said, "since it hinges on a plot twist I'd rather not give away." Hint, hint."
http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/12/24/161745.shtml
"I am a huge Johnny Depp fan regardless of politics."
Ditto here. I enjoy him in ANYTHING. He's one of our best actors.
"Sometimes a movie is just a movie."
Seldom is a movie just a movie.
I lived in Hollywood briefly years ago---hoping to have an acting career.
During that little bit of time-- hanging out on the edges of the entertainment industry-- I found out that Hollywood writers, producers, directors will use various ways to include their "messages" in the film or TV show.
Whether it be plainly spoken in the script or a more subtle means, Hollywood's great work of propaganda goes on. Sometimes a movie is full of it, sometimes they just throw in bits every now and then.
Once you realize this is going on, you can easily spot their "messages" in every movie or TV program. It gets to be laughable sometimes---they just can't help themselves. They are determined to turn the rest of the country (and the world) into a replica of Hollywood, the home of no morals and the lover of every religion except Christianity.
"Sometimes a movie is just a movie."
I can roll with that, but this was a wildly overpraised just-a-movie. I saw it based on the 93% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, along with a glowing review from one of my customers.
I found myself having to work hard to see the film as the "genius" piece of art I was told it was. It really is pretty ridiculous if you watch it unhazed by the hype.
But yes, it is just a movie. My life has not been damaged by it.
For those of you that want to see an incredible, underrated movie, rent: "The Legend of 1900" The whole movie is a piece of art and the music is fantastic!
Fistful of Dollars for The Bad and The Ugly.
I'll pass on this movie.
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