Sunshine and Light

Cinderella Man

And the winner by a knockout is...

Oh c'mon, there's no way you can have a boxing movie review without that kind of corny cliche. But don't let that take away from this movie, it was awesome. Jim Braddock is a fighter who is struggling to keep his family fed and the heat on during the depression. He has pride, he wants to work for a respectable living without handouts, and above all, he wants to keep his family together, happy and healthy. Renee Zellwegger is amazing as his long suffering wife who can't attend the bouts because she feels every blow he takes. Russell Crowe does his usual amazing acting turn as Jim Braddock. The cinematography is excellent, the story is touching and hopeful, and the characters are people you wish you knew. Who can't like a guy who pays back the welfare he had to take during the depression? Who manages not to get caught up in the hype surrounding boxing at it's highest level, but keeps his focus on what's important - his wife and kids?

As Chris said, neither of us are into boxing (well any more, I used to watch during the late Muhammad Ali/Sugar Ray Leonard/Leon Spinks era when I was like 10 years old.), but something about boxing movies seems to drag us in. By the end of this one we were shrieking "No! No! Don't DO that!" So don't let the values portion put you off. For sheer, brutal boxing action this movie is a winner as well. I'm waiting to see what Chris rates this at on his new "boxing violence level" indicator. Ratings go from 1 to "Raging Bull". (I can't take credit for the scoring system, that's all him)

Labels: Movies

posted by MyHusbandRules @ 7:50 AM