Film's euthanasia plot angers disabled groups (Clint Eastwood's 'Million Dollar Baby')

WorldNetDaily ^ | 1/23/05 | WorldNetDaily

[Dr. Scarpetta]

It's odd that the radio commercials don't hint at this at all. You think it's all about a girl who wants to be a boxer.

That's what I thought too. I'm a movie-goer, and I don't feel like seeing this. Right now my mother is suffering from Parkinson's, and I often take her to the movies. I definitely will not take her to see such a depressing movie while she's struggling to get through each day.

[livius]

and now, they want to adopt a Hitlerian solution to deal with them.

Oddly enough, this at a time when we are closer than ever before to solving the problem of spinal cord injuries. There has been much positive work done in this area and I read in some (admittedly very popularized) report that either regeneration or bridging of certain spinal cord injuries will be possible in the not too distant future.

But heck, it's probably cheaper and faster to kill them. Of course, you could say that about people with any disease, I suppose. Why was all that money spent on AIDS when it would really have been cheaper and easier to let them die?

[cyborg]

You don't need to see that movie either as a caregiver of someone facing that disease. I think it's a bit of false advertising IMHO.

[Hot Tabasco]

"Warner Brothers never tells you the truth about a key plot twist that turns this pedestrian boxing movie into an insufferable manipulative right-to-die movie,"

Gee, thats a novel idea! Hype a move in your ads but don't tell the people how it ends......How despicable is that?????

[valkyrieanne]

I saw the movie a couple weeks ago, and it was excellent, IMO.

Well, finally, a comment from someone who's actually *seen* it. Personally, I can't stand it when people rail against movies they haven't even seen. I loved Mystic River and Eastwood as a director in general, so I think I'll see this one.

[lowbridge]

First off, let me say that People who deliberately ruin the ending of a movie for others are the worst type of inconsiderate jerk-off. I don't care the reason; leave a movies surprises for others to see.

http://www.themoviespoiler.com/

[RockAgainsttheLeft04]

Thanks for the link, but I don't care to partake of it. As far as I'm concerned, any jerk-off who calls themself the "movie spoiler" should be roundly beated with his own pocket protector until he promises to play fair with the moviegoers of the world.

[katana]

Make a movie in which a pregnant woman decides at the last moment NOT to have an abortion. . . then show the life of the child who lived (instead of being killed)

Title: The Stephen Hawking Story. Imagine what even one of the more than 40 million killed in the USA could have accomplished.

[Dave W]

Well, I saw the movie last night and did not know about the plot twist.

I agree with what someone posted who said that just because the world view of a movie doesn't agree with your own, doesn't make it a bad movie. The movie is raising an issue to be debated.

The movie is very powerful and is crafted exceedingly well. I am vehemently against euthanasia, but am mature enough to understand that not all agree with me. From watching this movie, I believe there can be a good argument against euthanasia.

[WildTurkey]

"The biggest problem with Million Dollar Baby," says Diane Coleman of Not Dead Yet "is that some of the audience will be newly disabled people, their family members and friends, swept along in the critically acclaimed emotion that the kindest response to someone struggling with the life changes brought on by a severe injury is, after all, to kill them."

When my father was very ill with cancer, we took him out to a movie to get him out for a while. It was about horse racing so we thought he would enjoy it. Turned out the related plot was about a person dying from cancer.

But it was not the producer's fault that it made us doubly sad.

[Dave W]

No, it is not being overpraised. It is a very powerful and moving story. Just because I don't agree with the outcome doesn't mean I am going to slam it.

[Borges]

Oh I'm not saying that for that reason. I just felt it was a simple minded melordrama, every element of which had been done many times before.

[verity]

It seems that being offended is becoming America's greatest pass time.

[Dave W]

Grow up. Some people don't want to be told how the movie twists and turns and how it ends. That is part of why some people go to see a movie.

The previews for the Sound of Music didn't show them getting caught escaping and then hiding in the abbey. How misleading!!!! LOL

[cyborg]

I don't care to watch a movie about suicide.

[jocon307]

Well I for one thank for posting the link to moviespoiler. I don't like to watch too many movies, but I do get curious about them. Some movies I won't watch at all, for example horror movies, because they freak me out too much and make me afraid to go down to my laundry room. No, I'm not kidding at all. But just finding out what happens doesn't scare me. With the horror flicks I can usually get my brother to tell me "the whole story". I'm sure I'll make good use of this site!

[jocon307]

"The previews for the Sound of Music didn't show them getting caught escaping and then hiding in the abbey."

No, but the movie still had a happy ending. I think that is the problem with this situation, the movie is basically being portrayed as a feel-good story, and I guess it is really not.

Other movies I've hated for their sad endings were "Sugarland Express" and "Lady Sings the Blues". But in those cases I was just mad at hubby for starting to watch them on TV late at night, falling asleep, and leaving me crying at the end!

[BradyLS]

Sometimes a movie is simply depicting a story. Such a story may or may not agree with your "world view". But, it's not necessarily trying to make a political point. Why do some people have to see an agenda in every film released or TV show produced? The liberal left often are guilty of this, and now I see some on the right are, too.

I can accept that ususally, a cigar is just a cigar. But consider Hollywood. If Hollywood movie-making is a money-making machine and they don't care about the message of the film so long as the money is there to make a profit and produce more movies, then I ask:

1. Why did Hollywood feel a need to hide the "twist" of MDB if movies about winning boxers are good box office?

2. Are there enough people who would really want to watch a movie about a successful boxer who becomes a quadrapeligic and is murdered by her trainer to cover the cost of making it?

[Hildy]

I doubt somebody in the character Maggie's situation, on a respirator, unable to move any part of her body would find herself in a movie theater watching this movie. Unfreakinbelievable.