Cinderella Man

Starring 

Russell Crowe, Renee Zelleweger, Paul Giamatti

Rated PG-13

I’m not surprised that Ron Howard’s latest movie, “Cinderella Man,” is being hailed as the year’s first Oscar contender. What I’m surprised about is that so few people are seeing the film. Sure, the box office has been down for 15 weeks, but that hasn’t stopped movies like “Madagascar” and “The Longest Yard” from making millions. Why aren’t more people seeing “Cinderella Man?”

Maybe Russell Crowe’s recent arrest is keeping people away. Frankly, I don’t care what Crowe does in his spare time; all I know is that he’s one of the best living actors, and his performance as boxer James J. Braddock is amazing. Renee Zelleweger is equally good as his wife Mae, and Paul Giamatti is hilarious as Braddock’s manager Joe Gould (Giamatti, by the way, will probably be my pick for Best Supporting Actor at next years Academy Awards.)

This underdog tale begins in the late 1920’s as Braddock is living the American Dream. He’s a fantastic boxer, he has a wife and three kids, and…BOOM! The Great Depression hits, and before you know it, Braddock is living in a one room house, barely able to feed his family. He occasionally gets work down at the docks, but that’s not enough to pay the bills. One day Gould visits him, offering him another fight. Gould explains that it’s not a comeback, just a way to get some money. Well, defying expectations, Braddock wins and…well, you can tell where it goes from there.

“Cinderella Man” is solid entertainment and, although I hate clichés, a real crowd-pleaser. I encourage everyone to see this film; I’m really hoping that it will pull through and end up being a hit. “The Terminal” had the same problem last year – audiences just didn’t want to see it. Are people afraid of good movies? I hope not – because you’re missing out by skipping “Cinderella Man.”   

   
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