There is a moment early in "Cinderella Man" arm because of his injured right hand, and

when we see Russell Crowe in the boxing ring, although that job is a low point, it is also the
filled with cocky self-confidence, and I secret to the left hook that will eventually get
thought I knew what direction the story him named "Cinderella Man" by Damon
would take. I could not have been more Runyon.
mistaken. I walked in knowing nothing about
The movie teams Crowe once again with
Jim Braddock, "The Bulldog of Bergen,"
director Ron Howard; they made "A Beautiful
whose riches-to-rags-to-riches career inspired
Mind" together, and the screenwriter of that
the movie. My friend Bill Nack of Sports
film, Akiva Goldsman, co-wrote this one
Illustrated, who just won the A.J. Liebling
with Cliff Hollingsworth. They find human
Award, the highest honor a boxing writer can
ways to mirror the descent into despair; the
attain, could have told me all about Braddock,
Braddock family's poverty, for example,
but I am just as happy to have gone in cold, so
seems to weigh most heavily on the oldest
that I could be astonished by Crowe's
son, Jay (Connor Price), who fears above all
performance.
being sent away to live with "rich" relatives --
rich here meaning those with something to
I think of Crowe as a tough customer, known
eat. He steals a sausage from a butcher shop,
to get in the occasional brawl. Yes, he plays
is caught, and then, in a scene typical of
men who are inward and complex, as in "The
Braddock's gentle wisdom, is not punished by
Insider" and "A Beautiful Mind," or men who
his father, but talked to, softly and earnestly,
are tempered and wise, as in "Master and
because his father instinctively knows why his
Commander." But neither he nor anyone else
son stole the sausage, and that the kid's
in a long time has played such a nice man as
daring was almost noble.
the boxer Jim Braddock. You'd have to go
Up to this point, there would not be a
back to actors like James Stewart and Spencer
comeback, and no occasion for Damon
Tracy to find such goodness and
Runyon nicknames. Braddock gets one more
gentleness. Tom Hanks could handle the
chance at a fight, as Gould edges him past the
assignment, but do you see any one of them
doubts of promoter Jimmy Johnston (Bruce
as a prizefighter? Tracy, maybe.
McGill). Without much time to train, he takes
As the film opens, Braddock is riding high
on a leading contender, and to everyone's
with a series of victories that buy a
amazement, wins the fight. One victory leads
comfortable, but not opulent, lifestyle for his
to another, and finally Gould is able to broker
wife Mae (Renee Zellweger) and their children
a title fight with the heavyweight
Jay, Rosemarie and Howard. Also doing OK is
champion Max Baer (Craig Bierko), who has
Braddock's loyal manager Joe Gould (Paul
killed two of his opponents and seems likely
Giamatti, in a third home run after "American
to kill the outweighed and outclassed
Splendor" and "Sideways"). Then Braddock
Braddock.
breaks his right hand, loses some matches so What happens in the fight you will see. Ron
badly his license is taken away, and descends
Howard, Russell Crowe, Craig Bierko, the
with his family to grim poverty in the early
cinematographer Salvatore Totino and the
days of the Depression.
editors Daniel P. Hanley and Mike Hill step
What is remarkable during both the highs into a ring already populated by the ghosts of
and the lows is that Braddock, as Crowe plays
countless movie fights, most memorably
him, remains level-headed, sweet-tempered
those in "Raging Bull," "Million Dollar Baby"
and concerned about his family above all.
and the "Rocky" movies. They don't try to
Perhaps it takes a tough guy like Crowe to
outfight those movies, but to outmaneuver
make Braddock's goodness believable. Mae is
them emotionally. The closest connection is
just the wife he deserves, filled with love and
with "Million Dollar Baby," also a film about a
loyalty, and so terrified he will be hurt that
fighter whose deepest motivation is the fear
she refuses to attend his fights and won't even
of poverty (at a press conference, Braddock
listen on the radio.
says he fights in order to be able to buy milk
Their poverty takes them from a nice family for his family). The visual strategy of the big
house to a cramped little apartment where fight is direct and brutal, but depends not so
there is no heat and hardly anything to eat. much on the technical depiction of boxing as
Braddock gets a job on the docks in Hoboken, on the development of the emotional duel
slinging sacks of grain and coal, using his left going on in the ring. When an underdog
fights from "heart" after his strength and skill
are not enough, the result is almost always
unconvincing -- but not always.
"Cinderella Man" is a terrific boxing picture,
but there's no great need for another one. The
need it fills is for a full-length portrait of a
good man. Most serious movies live in a
world of cynicism and irony, and most good-
hearted movie characters live in bad movies.
Here is a movie where a good man prevails in
a world where every day is an invitation to
despair, where resentment would seem fully
justified, where doing the right thing seems
almost gratuitous, because nobody is looking
and nobody cares.
Jim Braddock is almost transparent in the
simple goodness of his character; that must
have made him almost impossible to play.
Russell Crowe makes him fascinating, and it
takes a moment or two of thought to
appreciate how difficult that must have been.
Life is good for James J. Braddock in the
Roaring ’20s. Earnings (and wins) come easy
for this professional boxer. More importantly
to him, he has a wonderful wife and three
beautiful children to enjoy.
But by 1933—in the thick of the Great
Depression—Jim’s world looks completely
different. After being forced into retirement via
a string of losing decisions and a broken
hand, “The Bulldog of Bergen” has all but lost
his boxing bite and is scrambling for work
alongside 15 million other unemployed
Americans. His only hope each day is that
he’ll be picked to work on the docks for a
day’s pay. But despite the threat of having no
electricity, heat or food for the family, Jim
refuses to send his kids off to live with
wealthier relatives, even after his wife, Mae,
suggests the move.
Jim finally gets a break when his boxing
manager, Joe Gould, shows up out of the
blue with a proposition. It turns out the No. 2
heavyweight in the world needs a last-minute
replacement to fight for $250. And the fact
that Jim has never been knocked out makes
him an attractive story line. Donning
makeshift gloves and a fighter’s robe with the
wrong name on it, Jim is simply expected to
show up, take a few hits and collect his
paycheck.
But then the unexpected happens: Jim KOs
his opponent. Having seen glimpses of his
fighter’s old self, Joe offers Jim another shot
in the ring (much to the chagrin of the ever-
supportive Mae). One victory leads to another
... and another ... and another ... until Jim has
suddenly rekindled hope among the down-
and-out Irish-American community rallying
around its newfound underdog hero.
Reality hits soon enough, as it's bound to do.
Jim, now dubbed the “Cinderella Man,” is
lined up to fight the undefeated heavyweight
champion of the world, Max Baer, an arrogant
giant who has already killed two men in the
ring. And Mae is finally putting her foot down.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS
Both Jim and Mae stand for integrity,
perseverance, commitment, honor ... the list
goes on. It’s rare that such positive leading
characters remain untainted throughout a
film, yet the couple defies the odds. Their
love for each other and for their children is at
the forefront of their story, which includes
numerous examples of solid parenting.
In a touching scene, Jim sacrifices his own
meager portion of food when his daughter
says she’s still hungry. After his son steals
salami from the local butcher, Jim makes him
return it and apologize to the storeowner.
Despite the family’s obvious need for food,
the dad’s message is clear: “We don’t steal,
no matter what. ... There are a lot of people
worse off than us.” In a wonderful display of
unconditional love, however, Jim discovers
the fear behind his son’s actions and
comforts him by promising to never send him
away. He repeatedly makes good on that
guarantee despite various pressures.
In the interest of his struggling family, Jim
humbles himself and asks for help from
friends and acquaintances. He’s also loyal to
his word. When he’s forced to apply for
federal emergency relief money, he returns
later to pay back his loan—an action many
people consider foolish and unnecessary
since they claim the American government
betrayed them. Jim never assigns blame or
gets bitter toward the government. The boxer
also defends a woman when her drunken
husband treats her roughly and even
reprimands Joe for speaking disrespectfully
about an opponent.
Mae is just as admirable as her husband.
While she refuses to attend Jim’s fights in an
effort to keep herself emotionally stable
(“Every time you get hit, feels like I’m getting
hit”), she is quick to stand by her man with
moving words of encouragement, gratitude
and honor. “You’re your kids’ hero. ... You are
the champion of my heart,” she tells him
before a key bout. She also defends her
husband in the face of would-be manipulators
and attackers, even verbally confronting the
intimidating Max Baer after his trash-talking
turns personal. And when it comes to her
kids, Mae does whatever she can to assure
them of a hopeful future.
Jim and Mae’s relationship is a beautiful
portrayal of a deep-rooted marriage. Both
acknowledge their healthy dependence on
each other (“You can’t win without me behind
you,” Mae says—to which Jim lovingly
replies, “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell
you”). Jim goes out of his way to commend
his wife, both in public and private.
When everyone else has given up on Jim,
Joe shows his loyalty by giving his
client/friend a second chance at his own
expense. He helps the fighter in his time of
need, providing him both money and the
opportunity to pursue his passion once again.
Another man sticks up for Jim when the
boxer’s ability to work the docks is questioned
because of his broken hand. Jim later returns
the favor.