Disturbing yet enthralling

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

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This film was so absorbing, so believable, with every moment and relationship depicted with a sense of truth, that I was motivated to go on Wikipedia to see how close it was to reality. I stopped the video at one point when Jim was having a heart to heart talk with his wife, stepping out to the sidewalk so the kids wouldn't overhear it. I went back to listen again to the distant sound of a dog barking, ever so faintly. Few were aware of this and you can't stop a film in a theatre, but this exemplified the multitude of touches that was everywhere.No throwaway scenes or conversations that didn't advance the characters and the story. In my research I noted that most everything was as is happened, all except this, which is the depiction of Max Baer, who he fought for the heavyweight title. It wasn't that they were just opponents, but beyond the inherent violence in boxing, he was depicted as egregiously vicious, gaining pleasure not just winning but destroying his opponents, on and off the ring. So, in reading about him, I discovered this was not the man at all. He courageously wore a Star of David on his trunks, since he was a quarter Jewish, as an personal statement to the Nazis in Germany and the America of that time. He did cause the death of two of his opponents, but suffered great emotional pain, and did what he could for the families. The turning of him into a caricature of evil personified, didn't even add to the quality of the film, as in retrospect he should have been depicted as the full human being, that was so well done for the rest of the cast. Max Baer has descendants who don't need to have their forebear defamed, for no reason at all.

I've wanted to see this movie for a long time, but somehow I never did. I think it's because of the title, some movie always had a better sounding one. Now I saw it, I'm jotting it down as one of the best movies I've seen. Russel Crowe's James J. Braddock is a deeply genuine character. Fighting with principle for his wife and kids. The picture is deeply moving, my heart was racing almost throughout the whole movie. The ending was particularly restless.From the 2h 24min, I wasn't bored for a second. It's just what a movie should be. Moving. Inspiring.

This film is a heart-warming story of one man's relentless struggle to succeed. Jimmy's determination makes it possible for him to overcome the odds and go on to be a champion in the ring. This film shows us that even when things appear hopeless, nothing is impossible! Cinderella Man is reminiscent of the iconic Rocky film series. In these films, we root for the under-dog, hoping he will defeat his arrogant and deadly opponent. As viewer's, we develop an emotional connection to these characters and their families. We fear for their safety and want desperately for these fighters to be victorious. Jimmy and Rocky are resilient in their battles and neither give up hope as they both show great determination in the face of adversity. The lighting techniques used in Cinderella Man are very natural. In certain parts of this film, the lighting reflects the despair of The Depression. These scenes are dark and dreary, projecting the emotions of a poverty-stricken family as they struggle to stay together. Bright bursts of camera flashes are also used during the film. This technique added to the realism and excitement of these scenes. During the fight with Max Baer (Craig Bierko), different angles of shots help to tell the story. Close-up shots are used to show the emotions of Jimmy and Max. This angle is also used to show the injuries that are being inflicted on each man during the fight. Wide-angle shots are used to show the action of the fight in greater detail and to show the enormity of the crowd. This allows the viewer to feel like he or she is a part of this event. A subjective point of view is used during the fight as well. This gives the viewer a chance to see the fight from Jimmy's perspective. After the fight, Jimmy is lifted above the rest of the crowd with the light shining brightly on him. The angle expresses Jimmy's superiority over Max. The light symbolizes his win and the end of the Braddock family's struggles. Cinderella Man reminds viewers that no matter how difficult times may be, nothing is impossible. Even though things seemed hopeless for the Braddock family, Jimmy's determination made it possible for him to overcome hardship and become a world champ!

Cinderella Man is directed by Ron Howard and stars Russell Crowe as James Braddock, a rags to riches boxer that tries to make a life during the Great Depression. The story follows Braddock, and his wife (Renee Zellweger) as he rises from a very bad boxer, to a very good boxer, and the conflicts that this causes in his marriage, and the ever so hard time known as the Depression.Ron Howard, the director, is known by many people as Opie Taylor. However, he is also a pretty good, and well known, director in Hollywood. He's directed such movies as The Da Vinci Code, A Beautiful Mind (also with Russell Crowe), and even Apollo 13. He's done some pretty good films, and this one lives up to the others. While on the topic of Ron Howard, I might as well mention the directing. The directing in this movie is actually pretty good. During the fight scenes, he films the action pretty well. There aren't an overabundance of cuts, and he used a lot of wide shots when Braddock was in the ring. I was impressed with the directing.The cinematography was also pretty good. Some people may not like it, because it's dark and dreary, but I liked that quite a bit. It expresses how hard the Depression was, and it symbolizes the people's' lives. Their lives were dark, and nothing seemed to work out. This is also true for the story's protagonist, which leads me into my next positive.The characters were very likable. I truly understood why James had to fight, and I also understood why his wife, Mae, didn't want him to. She needed him to be able to take care of the family, and he thought he was doing so by fighting. He saw fighting as a way to make money, and she saw it as an easy way to get killed. These characters are a literary device known as a foil; they contrast each other. However, this somewhat reflected on another couple involved with the boxing business, and for those of you who have seen the Rocky films, you know exactly what I'm talking about. James and Mae are a pretty clear image of Rocky and Adrian, which could easily bring the movie down, if not set in such a specific time period as the Depression was.Speaking of the Rocky films, James' final opponent, Max Baer, reminded me of Ivan Drago, from Rocky IV. Both men were known for killing opponents in the ring, and being very strong, yet the protagonist still insists on fighting them. The last two points could easily be summarized by the "boxing movie" cliché. This cliché is abundant through all boxing films, not just this one. It is easily recognizable in other movies, such as The Fighter, Raging Bull, or Southpaw. This, however, can be excused by the difficulty to differentiate themselves from other boxing films.So, overall, my main problem with the film is it's obvious cliché, yet I liked almost everything else about the movie. I think Cinderella Man should receive a B, or an 8 out of 10.