Cinderella Man [WS] [Blu-ray]

Russell Crowe Director: Ron Howard, Penny Marshall, Brian Grazer, Byron Howard Ron Howard

Overview

The true story of an athlete who achieved his greatest success against the most daunting odds of his life is brought to the screen in this historical drama. In the 1920s, James Braddock (Russell Crowe) from Bergen, NJ, was a promising contender in professional boxing; he had strength, spirit, and tenacity, but the combination of a serious hand injury and a 1929 defeat in a bout with light heavyweight champ Tommy Loughran sent his career into a serious tailspin. As Braddock's career in the ring dried up, the Great Depression put a stake through the heart of America's economy, and Braddock found himself working at the New York docks for pitiful wages as he tried to support his wife, Mae (Renée Zellweger), and three children. Desperate for money, Braddock turned to his former trainer and manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti), who was unexpectedly able to scare up a bout for him, battling John Griffin at Madison Square Garden. While conventional wisdom had it that Braddock was too old, out of shape, and out of practice to have any chance of winning, he defeated Griffin, and continued beating his opponents with a powerful left hook that had been intensified by years of punishing dock work. In a nation desperate for good news, Braddock's surprising comeback became a tonic to struggling workers and unemployed people, and all eyes were on Braddock when in 1935 he took on powerful heavyweight champion Max Baer (Craig Bierko) in what was both literally and figuratively the fight of his life.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/26/2009
UPC:	0025195055536
Original Release:	2005
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	2:25:00
Sales rank:	17,579

Special Features

Feature commentary with director Ron Howard; Feature commentary with co-writer Akiva Goldsman; Feature commentary with co-writer Cliff Hollingsworth; Deleted scenes; The Fight Card: casting Cinderella Man; For the Record: a history in boxing; Ringside seats; Jim Braddock: the friends & family behind the legend; Pre-fight preparations; Lights, camera, action: the fight from every angle; Braddock vs. Baer fight footage; Photo montage; The sound of the bell; Cinderella Man music featurette; The human face of the depression; Russell Crowe's personal journey: becoming Jim Braddock

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Russell Crowe	Jim Braddock
Renée Zellweger	Mae Braddock
Paul Giamatti	Joe Gould
Craig Bierko	Max Baer
Paddy Considine	Mike Wilson
Bruce McGill	Jimmy Johnston
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
Krysta Carter	Actor
Ron Canada	Joe Jeanette
Alicia Johnston	Alice
Mark Simmons	Art Lasky
Troy Amos-Ross	Actor
Art Binkowski	Corn Griffin
Matthew G. Taylor	Primo Carnera
David Litziinger	Actor
James Ritz	Official at Griffin-Baer Fight
Fulvio Cecere	Referee McAvoy
Angelo Dundee	Angelo the Cornerman

Technical Credits

Ron Howard

Akiva Goldsman

Cliff Hollingsworth

C. Gaby Mitchell

Ron Howard	Screenwriter,Director,Director,Producer
Penny Marshall	Director,Producer
Brian Grazer	Director
Todd Hallowell	Producer,Executive Producer
Akiva Goldsman	Screenwriter
Cliff Hollingsworth	Screenwriter
C. Gaby Mitchell	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Despite exemplary reviews and more-than-ample media coverage, this Depression-era drama failed to achieve the box-office success predicted for it -- an inexplicable circumstance, because Cinderella Man stands head and shoulders above most of 2005's films. It’s the inspiring story of New Jersey-born boxer James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe in yet another Oscar-worthy performance), a once promising heavyweight reduced to working as a dockhand after a broken hand takes him out of contention for the title. Down but never out, Braddock and his loyal wife, Mae (Renée Zellweger), manage to keep their family intact. With help from his manager (Paul Giamatti), Braddock eventually gets back in the ring -- and starts winning. His unlikely ascent captures the attention of the newspapers and the fans, and it soon becomes apparent that this family man is headed for a title match with reigning champ Max Baer (Craig Bierko), a formidable fighter whose punching power has already caused the death of one opponent. Braddock’s rags-to-riches story teems with the kind of incidents that would appear to be the invention of studio screenwriters, but in this case they actually happened. When Braddock began winning again, for example, he did repay government welfare funds he had earlier accepted. However, there’s at least one unfortunate deviation from reality: director Ron Howard and writer Cliff Hollingsworth's portrayal of Baer as a bloodthirsty brute. Baer’s heirs justifiably protested the demonization; but it works to the film’s advantage, enhancing the suspense surrounding the Big Fight, which is one of the most technically convincing and emotionally satisfying bouts ever committed to celluloid. Boasting exemplary work from all involved, Cinderella Man is Hollywood entertainment in the best possible sense of the term.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Cinderella Man probably isn't Ron Howard's best film, but it might be his most quintessential one. A man whose talents have always rested on getting audiences to like and root for characters, Howard uses every weapon -- acting, casting, lighting, editing, art direction, music -- at a filmmaker's disposal to win viewers over. He won more than half the battle to make Braddock likable as soon as he cast Russell Crowe. Braddock offers the kind of role he does better than anybody -- a man with a maelstrom of emotions swelling under the surface who, when given the opportunity, is able to exorcise those feelings in physical activity. He allows Braddock to lose much of his dignity without making him pathetic. Howard's ability to get good performances, his judicious lack of a saccharine score, and the detailed but never showy period details add up to a very Howardesque quality that might be called melodramatic realism. There are almost always interesting supporting performances in Howard's films, and Cinderella Man is no exception. Paul Giamatti, an actor simply unable to do anything out of character no matter who the character is, serves up yet another award-caliber performance. Set in a world that would not seem to reward intelligence, Giamatti's character thrives on that very attribute. He knows how to manipulate those around him, but never does so in a harmful way. His scenes with ace character actor Bruce McGill are textbook examples of great no-frills acting. The film has moments where it overreaches for the melodrama, and the drive of the film stalls slightly during the extended third act, where the audience is left waiting for too long for the final fight to start, but Cinderella Man is at its heart old-fashioned, crowd-pleasing entertainment made and performed without cynicism.

All Movie Guide - Perry Seibert