CINDERELLA MAN
 *** out of *****

Directed by
Ron Howard
Written by
Cliff Hollingsworth (story and screenplay)
Akiva Goldsman (screenplay)
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

On the back of the DVD, near the top, there is a quote from a reviewer. Most movies you get out will have this. It is to provide some positive reinforcement for the film you are about to watch. This one is a bit different though. Instead of the usual "A superb film, Howard nailed every aspect" or "Two thumbs up" this one quite simply says "One of the best movies ever" – Larry King. That is a fairly big call to make and upon scrutiny this film is not one of the best movies ever, it is pretty bloody good though. A rundown of the plot is necessary before I start praising and criticizing.

James Braddock was a boxer of some note in the late 1920s. After a successful run of fights he was given a title fight in his light heavy-weight division against Tommy Loughran. Braddock got owned over 15 rounds and with this loss his career went into freefall. Couple this with the stock market crash of 1929 and life was not going well.  The movie picks up about here with Braddock struggling to get work on the docks as a labourer and his fighting career has continued to spiral down; so far so that the Boxing Commission revoke his license after one particularly uneventful fight. What follows is one man's search for redemption and a second chance.

You always start at the standout point and in this one it's not what you might expect. In every scene that he's in Paul Giamatti completely steals the show. His performance as Joe Gould, Jimmy's manager is quite outstanding. He is almost comic relief but we are shown that he too is suffering from the depression when Mae (Renée Zellweger) goes over to his house and finds the furniture consists of a table and 3 chairs. If you are a devout Christian you may not appreciate Giamatti's performance because every second word out of his mouth is 'Jesus Christ' or other such blasphemy but in terms of acting you cannot fault him. His character ranges from anxiety, hope, fear and sympathy for Jimmy's cause through to the raging ring-side manager when Jimmy's opponents commit the odd foul act whilst Jim remains virtuous.

FIGHT ME!

And that's the biggest problem in this film. Part of enjoying a film is identifying with one if not the main protagonist. Russell Crowe's Braddock is brilliantly portrayed but seems to be far too much of a decent guy. Where are his character flaws? Sure, I'm a nice guy also but I do have my flaws. As do we all, it's what makes us human. Braddock does not appear to have any. He's a loving husband and father, has an unbelievable work ethic, refuses to admit defeat and best of all keeps his promises to his kids. A Beautiful Mind (2001) suffered likewise, John Nash was a brilliant man sure and yes he had mental issues but the film didn't deal with his being arrested in 1954 for indecent exposure. It didn't deal with the accusations of his alleged homosexual experiences either.

It is as though Ron Howard has been Richie Cunnigham'd into thinking that every American who's a lead in his film is right out of Happy Days! In almost what seems to be a lame attempt to balance this, Max Baer (Craig Bierko), Braddock's title fight opponent at the climax of the film, is portrayed as an absolute bastard with no redeeming features whatsoever. He is cocky, arrogant, swaggers, womanizes, yells at females, kills men in the ring and brags about it and embraces the playboy spirit just a little too much. As there is no way Braddock can be this good, Baer cannot be this bad. I've met some pricks in my time but they still have the odd good character trait.

Too evil for words!