Cinderella Man

Based on the true story of fighter Jim Braddock, who in 1930s depression-era New York who enters the boxing ring out of desperation to feed his family. He becomes a hero of the common folk as he battles his way up the ranks, vaulting from broken-down ex-boxer to living legend with a string of amazing upsets to his credit. As word of the scrappy underdog spreads, entire families are glued to their radios, cheering, praying and experiencing his victories as their own. Their devotion reaches fever pitch when Braddock faces heavyweight champ Max Baer. The night, Braddock's dignity, courage and determination gives hope to a nation and earns him the nickname of Cinderella Man.

I must admit, this movie is the movie I wanted to see most this summer. Amid the excitement about Jedis, married assassins, and aliens, I was most looking forward to an uplifting story of a boxer in the depression era. What an amazing movie. First, I'll talk about the acting. The talent headlining this film was cast perfectly. Usually I pick out a favorite within the first 15 minutes of a movie, but I found the movie ending and myself still unable to decide. Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, and Paul Giamatti are all at their best. See this movie and you will have seen each of these actors and actresses performing at a level as good as or better than any other film they have been in. The chemistry between Crowe and Zellweger is perfectly believable and heart wrenching at times. Giamatti, who stood out in Sideways, gives his best performance to date as Crowe's trainer and promoter. Crowe is amazing as Jim Braddock and I would say this performance is at the level of Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind. The directing in this movie is also amazing. I love the transition between matches as well as the shots and angles during the boxing matches. The atmosphere and scenery is exactly what you would expect from depression era New York City and thus this film draws you in as only the best films do.

The PG-13 rating in this movie is for the boxing violence but that isn't really too graphic and I think barely warrants a rating higher than PG.

While I may change my tune later this summer, this movie tops the list as the best movie I have seen this year. Throughout, I found nothing wrong with this film, it had everything. The story was amazing, the shots were perfect, but what takes this film from good to amazing was the acting. Crowe, Zellweger, and Giamatti take this movie from enjoyable to memorable.

5 out of 5