CINDERELLA MAN

Director: Ron Howard (Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Backdraft)
Starring: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellwegger, Paul Giamatti

Yet another in the long string of absolutely fabulous Russell Crowe releases, this is very likely to be a best picture Oscar nominee. Few actors have had such a string of successes. I think it very likely that Russell Crowe will eventually join the pantheon of the greatest actors ever. In this film he plays a good man who happens to be a boxer. It's not a complicated or astounding story. It's simply the tale of the struggles (both professional and familial and personal) of this man during the depression. He overcomes obstacles and survives to fight another day. This simple story feels like an homage to a simpler kind of storytelling from days gone past, and it works well as such. The highlights of this excellent film include both acting and directing. I see an Oscar nod for Paul Giamatti as the trainer/promoter, Russell Crowe as Jim Braddock, the Cinderella boxer himself, and possibly (although less certain) for Renee Zellwegger as his devoted wife. The direction is top notch. Ron Howard will probably get a nod as well for his contributions to the film. There are beautiful boxing sequences and better visuals than in any other Howard movie. In the story itself there are very few bad men. Mostly there are only good men struggling through bad times. Essentially (according to this film) it wasn't the greed of evil men that caused the depression, but rather just bad luck. Probably true, but rather boring from a thematic stance. I'm not sure I necessarily agree with all this film has to say, but I love the way it was said. This is the first excellent movie of the year.

Standouts: Superb acting (Paul Giamatti, Russell Crowe) and excellent direction.
Blowouts: The story and characters are straightforward, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Grade: A