Absolutely Brilliant!

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

The acting in this movie is really good.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Russel Crowe was astonishing and the movie had my stomach in knots as if I were watching it for real when he finally fought Max Baer.

Cinderella Man is the story of James J. Braddock, played by Russell Crowe, who is an upcoming boxer that goes from riches to rags, and then back to riches.  Braddock's wife Mae Braddock, played by Renee Zellweger, does not like that Braddock fights.  The couple experiences many ups and downs throughout the movie.  Right before the Great Depression started Braddock was winning fights and able to support his family financially.  Then with a bad streak of luck, the Depression hits and Braddock starts losing fight after fight.  After losing many fights, the boxing commission kicks Braddock out and tells him he is no longer allowed to fight.  With no way to pay the bills, and a broken hand, Braddock goes to the docks to try to earn some money.  Things continue to go south for the Braddock family.  They can not afford to keep the lights on, get milk, and do not have enough money to feed their children.  Mae sends the children away to live with her family without talking to her husband.  Braddock has to suck up his pride and go to the same boxing commission that told him he was no longer able to fight and asked them for money so he could get his electricity turned back on.  Finally, things started to turn around when Braddock's manager Joe Gould, played by Paul Giamatti, is able to get Braddock a one-time fight.  To everyone's surprise, Braddock wins this fight, and the commission lets him back into league.  Fueled by the last several years of poverty, heartache, and passion Jim continues to win and becomes the number one contender, and eventually takes home the title of the world's heavy weight champion. The two main themes of the movie Cinderella Man were loyalty and to never give up on your dreams.  Braddock's manager, Gould, never gave up on Braddock.  He was able to get him another fight and sold his furniture to help finance Braddock's comeback. Gould had Braddock's back throughout his entire career. If Braddock would have given up boxing he would have never been the world's heavy weight champion.      It appears that Cinderella Man and Rocky are very closed related.  Both movies have main characters that symbolize strength and courage.  They are both the struggling underdogs in a one time fight and end up winning their fight.  By winning the fight, they were able to change their lives.  Rocky and Braddock also had the support of the people on their side.  The film's director Ron Howard, uses several extreme close-ups during the boxing scene.  During the close-ups of the fighters, we see the exhaustion from their faces.  Along with close-ups, slow motion is used to help emphasize the speed and the power of the punches.  As the film is based during the Depression years, the lighting is dark with very few bright colors.   During several of the fights, we are able to experience a subjective point of view.  This allows us to see the punch that is coming to hit Braddock. As Braddock showed us, you should never give up on your dreams even if things take a turn for the worst.  Continued dedication and hard work will eventually pay off.

In the film Russell Crowe plays a boxer named James Braddock who is married to Mae Braddock who is played by Renee Zellweger. James is managed by Joe Gould who is played by Paul Giamatti. James is a promising young boxer. After injuries hinder his ability to fight lowers his performance no one will give him a fight. The great depression hits and takes a toll on James and his family. He is given a chance to fight one last time makes the most of it and works his way up the ladder to become the champion of his weight class. The rise does not come without its struggles and conflict within his family. The theme of the film is that you must do whatever it takes to care for and be with your family. Throughout the film when James is fighting, when given his second chance, he has flashbacks to his family struggling. This gives the impression that he is fighting for his family and the betterment of them. He is determined that no matter what happens he will win the fight and he will do it for his family. Another scene that demonstrates the theme is when his son is caught stealing. When he makes his son return the item he stole he promises him that he will never split their family apart. Many families had to be split apart because of the tough economic times. The scene where James is working on the docks with a broken hand also demonstrates the theme. He is hiding his injury and working through a lot of pain to ensure that his family can stay together. He is determined that there is nothing that is going to keep him from doing whatever he can to keep his family together. There were also thematic elements that played into the role of determining the theme. The lighting in the home helps to show the theme. The apartment they are staying in is dark except for the faces of the family members, which shows the importance of the family. It is also symbolic that there are no lights on in the house when the kids have to leave the home. In addition to the lighting the angles in the film also show examples of the theme. When James is entering the ring the angle of the camera is above him. When he is in the ring there are angles that show him from a ringside perspective that gives the illusion he is high in the air. This shows that he is doing something that is helping his family and is being propped up for doing so. The film Castaway has similar items to the theme of this film. In Castaway Chuck has a will to survive and stay alive because of his wife. This shows that it is imperative to do whatever it takes to care for and be with your family.

I remember watching this movie as a 14 year old and it made a massive impression on me. I have watched many sports movies but none come close to this one in terms of being inspirational and as well acted. Russell Crowe's performance as James J Braddock to me rates alongside Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight as the finest I have seen in a movie. Cinderella Man showed the struggle of a country struggling through the Great Depression in an appropriate and gritty manner and also showed Braddock's struggle to help his family survive through it. The boxing scenes were brilliant and incredibly realistic. Paul Giamatti's performance as Braddock's manager was sublime and along with Renee Zellweger's performance as Braddock's wife (Mae) who's chemistry alongside Crowe was incredlble. The final fight scene where Braddock faces Baer in the final round with the radio announcer calling it (much to the dismay of Mae) is still something I get goosebumps watching. This, to me, is the best film I have seen and appropriately does justice to the life of one of America's greatest real life underdog tales