Posted on 06/03/2005 7:41:57 AM PDT by GPBurdell
1. Russell Crowe Triumphs in "Cinderella Man"
In "Cinderella Man" (opening Friday, June 3rd), Russell Crowe once again proves that old-fashioned masculinity does not have to be completely absent from the movies.
Directed by Ron Howard, "Cinderella Man" tells the uplifting, real-life story of Jim Braddock, the Depression-era boxer who rose from poverty and the soup lines to become heavyweight champion of the world.
The movie has excellent moral values, and Russell Crowe (Jim Braddock), Renee Zellweger (his wife Mae Braddock), and Paul Giamatti (his manager Joe Gould) all do a fine job portraying the 30s-era characters with conviction and authenticity.
The stand-out of the film, though, is Russell Crowe. The movie itself tells a simple tale of success, loss, and redemption - and Crowe elevates it with the complexity and depth of his acting. At a time when Hollywood seems determined to deride traditional masculinity, it's nice to see an actor like Crowe bring such strength, dignity, and self-confidence to the character of Jim Braddock.
Jim Braddock enjoys success as a boxer in the 1920s, but before he can advance to the top of his profession, a series of debilitating injuries and the stock market crash of 1929 (in which he loses all his money) cut Braddock¹s career short and send his life into a tailspin.
Unable to box, unable to find regular work in the terrible early years of the Depression, Braddock slides into penury. He loses his home and must move into a tiny basement flat with his wife and three children. He is barely able to feed them or keep the electricity on. The only work he can find consists of odd shifts on the docks - but the job requires him to use his broken right hand.
Unwilling to lose the work, Braddock disguises his cast and toughs it out. It still isn¹t enough to support his family, so Braddock must go on welfare and the soup lines in order to keep life and limb together.
After years of hardship, Braddock gets a second chance. His manager Joe Gould arranges a one-time fight for him in which Braddock is supposed to lose. Instead Braddock wins - even though he hasn't eaten all day, hasn't had time to train, and must fight in borrowed boxing gear. Braddock's victory here against tremendous odds is one of the most moving sequences of the film. Braddock literally wills himself to win the fight because if he doesn't, his family will go hungry.
Thus begins his climb back to the top, fueled by love of family, not by a need for fame. When a reporter asks Braddock why he fights, Braddock answers simply, "I fight for milk."
Braddock's commitment to his family is one of many important messages in this movie. Others include fidelity to his wife, perseverance in the face of tremendous odds, optimism, honesty, self-sacrifice and self-reliance.
When his family is hungry and his son steals a salami from the butcher, Braddock makes his son return it. When Braddock starts winning fights again, he returns to the welfare office and pays back all the money the government has given him. When the brutal Max Baer hits Braddock with illegal low blows during the climactic championship fight, Braddock fights back fairly and cleanly.
Braddock becomes a national hero - and a symbol for America's indomitable spirit of courage and optimism. Hollywood makes very few films with good values nowadays - which is why conservatives should support "Cinderella Man," and help ensure that more movies like it get made.
"GPBurdell? George Burdell? You must be a Tech grad!"
A very OLD one, at that!
GT '92 here.
What probably happened, is that Crowe tried some of his crap on someone with some REAL boxing experience, and got his a$$ whupped, good and proper..
And was then given a good lecture about "proper behaviour"..
Crowe has now "seen the error of his ways"...
He was excellent as Maximus in Gladiator.
Very old Class of '92? Double-E class of '81 here! That's older!
Yes I am. Graduated in 1990. Man how time flies. :-)
Buzz
Buzz Blog
"Very old Class of '92?"
By "Very old", I meant Mr. Burdell.
Although I FEEL old...
GT 85 here!
I'm a Tech EE too, a couple of years after you...
Holy cow! We have a regular Tech thread going here!
Very possible. Crowe is a splendid actor and a source of true pride for Australia, but he has acted like a fool in the past. I hope that his marriage has helped him to settle down a bit. Someday people will write popular books about his antics as today they write about the lives of Humphrey Bogart and other great stars, because he will no doubt join the constellation of the biggest stars.
We're going to see this in an hour...first showing on opening day at our local theater. I'll report back after!
LOL! Thanks for the ping. That was a great episode.
I've wanted to see this movie for a while and am so excited that it's finally out.
By the way, thanks for the "ping"... ;o)
I hope they don't disparage Max Baer. He was a nice guy who just happened to kill two people in the ring. It destroyed him.
Therein lies Russell Crowe's appeal. He is very much a manly man.
Becki
Two fine Aussie actors!
ping
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