(Non-spoiler review)
Our vacation has begun and it has started with a real knockout, Ron Howards’ biopic of James J. Braddock, Cinderella Man. It is rare when a movie trailer leaves me with a lump in my throat and the trailer for this movie had done so each and every time I saw it over the last several months. Needless to say I was looking forward to this one. My anticipation was not in vain as this movie delivered on all counts.
Cinderella Man is the story of New Jersey local James J. Braddock, his early boxing success, his professional and financial decline during The Great Depression, and his fairy tale resurrection in the boxing ring. It is a story of love and hope and triumph. Its the kind of story that lends itself to the type of movie that will wring tears from your eyes along with shouts of triumph…the kind of movie that Ron Howard has become so adept at bringing to the big screen.
Howard has earned another Oscar nomination for this one. It is masterfully told in every arena- acting, cinematography, score, lighting…everything. The cast could not be better. Whether you enjoy or despise Russell Crowe’s off-screen antics there is no denying his acting talent. He brings an everyman quality to the role of Braddock. From the very beginning you like this guy and are rooting for this guy. I never once thought, ‘hey there’s Russell Crowe up on screen’. I was sold from the opening shot that this was James J. Braddock. His on-screen chemisty with Renee Zellweger is amazing. She was perfectly cast for this movie as she really has that 1920’s flapper look and from the first moment they are together in the movie you feel that they are devoted to each other. The children were perfectly cast and did an outstanding job. The way their roles were written and filmed made you care about them as much as did Braddock himself. The person who stole the show, however, was Paul Giamatti. He played the role of Braddocks’ manager and he was simply perfect. I won’t share anything else about his role as it would spoil the movie for you but if he doesn’t get recognized with a Best Supporting Actor nomination by the Academy I will be really disappointed.
The movie was filmed to perfection. The muted color tones and lighting not only reflected the darkness that overshadows a world in which men pummel each other for sport but also reflected the era of our history known as the Great Depression. We have all had some introduction to this time period during our history classes growing up but I learned things that I hadn’t heard or at least didn’t remember about the way things were during this time. Mary and I talked about how well they portrayed the climate of the world at that time and the shots of people clamoring for jobs looked as accurate as any documentaries I’ve seen on the subject.
The fights were incredible. Howard did many different things with the cinematography and choreography of these bouts that made each moment in them simply amazing. I particularly enjoyed the times where the fight was shot from the perspective of one of the opponents in the ring. As I said, it was simply amazing. I was on the edge of my seat and in awe with each punch.
Thomas Newman’s score was excellent and it was made doubly so by the fact that, since this was a story about an Irishman, there were several great fiddle pieces in the movie. There were a couple of times during the movie when I found myself stepping outside the movie for just a moment to enjoy the music. This is a soundtrack I would consider getting.
The last thing I want to discuss in this review is the love story. The entire premise of this movie is hope and love, but most especially the love of a family. Ron Howard’s directing and the phenomenal performances of the actors had me in tears early on in the film and brought me to tears several times thereafter. If I wasn’t crying I was grabbing the arm rest in stress during the fight scenes. Howard takes the time early in the film to slowly establish the relationships of this family before the real fighting begins and it is time well invested. The pay off is that you care about these characters and what happens to them. Cinderella Man is well worth seeing and worth paying the money to see on the big screen.
