Cinderella Man (2005)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers (WGA):

Cliff Hollingsworth (story)
Cliff Hollingsworth (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 June 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

One man's extraordinary fight to save the family he loved.

Plot:

The story of James Braddock, a supposedly washed up boxer who came back to become a champion and an inspiration in the 1930s.

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Great Depression | Boxer | 1930s | Dock

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 22 nominations

Cast

Russell Crowe	...	Jim Braddock
Renée Zellweger	...	Mae Braddock
Paul Giamatti	...	Joe Gould
Craig Bierko	...	Max Baer
Paddy Considine	...	Mike Wilson
Bruce McGill	...	Jimmy Johnston
David Huband	...	Ford Bond
Connor Price	...	Jay Braddock
Ariel Waller	...	Rosemarie Braddock
Patrick Louis	...	Howard Braddock
Rosemarie DeWitt	...	Sara Wilson
Linda Kash	...	Lucille Gould
Nicholas Campbell	...	Sporty Lewis
Gene Pyrz	...	Jake
Chuck Shamata	...	Father Rorick

Also Known As:

El luchador (Argentina) (Venezuela) [es]
A Luta Pela Esperança (Brazil) [pt]
Cinderella Man (Finland) [fi]
Cinderella Man (Greece) [el]
Cinderella Man (Canada: French title) [fr]
Cinderella Man (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Cinderella Man - Una ragione per lottare (Italy) [it]
Das Comeback (Germany) [de]
De l'ombre à la lumière (France) [fr]
El hombre que no se dejó tumbar (Spain) [es]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense boxing violence and some language.

Runtime:

144 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41365) | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Brazil:14 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Sweden:11 | Hong Kong:IIA | Belgium:KT | Venezuela:PG-13 | Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Hungary:14 | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | South Korea:All | Ireland:15 | South Africa:10V | Denmark:11 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | France:U | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Ireland:15A | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | Germany:12 | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The story Braddock tells of his kids confusing the word "title" with the word "turtle" is true. A reporter asked Braddock's son Howard what he would do if his father brought home the title young Howard replied that he'd "play with it. Pull it around on a string".

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The credits list Benny Goodman's version of "Don't Be That Way" as the song playing in the club when Braddock meets Baer. That version of the song was first performed/recorded several years later, in 1938, at Carnegie Hall.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Joe Gould: Attaboy! Keep him busy!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "HBO First Look: The Making of 'American Gangster' (#14.27)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble

Very little to say...

My heart was firmly lodged in my throat for the last hour and a half of The Cinderella Man. Nobody does true-story heroism like Ron Howard, and few can do heroes like Russell Crowe. Though Howard fictionalizes his subjects, and does not pretend to make documentaries, he does accurately depict the feeling and the major points of his subjects.

Jim Braddock was a depression-era boxer who everybody thought was down for the count. Though there is a lot of boxing in this film, this is not a boxing movie, but rather his story and the story of the family that inspired him to fight back against prejudice and hopelessness, to rise to heights that would inspire a nation. Braddock is portrayed in a moving and powerful manner, with remarkable performances all around, one of the best scripts I can remember in recent years, and occasionally brutal action.

Those who have run into my reviews may note that this is one of my shortest. Please understand that I really don't think there's much to say about this simple, beautiful and very human story, besides - see it!