Cinderella Man Review

Cinderella Man is a very moving movie I can easily consider as one of the greatest stories ever told on the depiction of the rise and fall of all great boxers. I can put this movie on top of all the other ones made so far to this point including the movies The Hurricane, Raging Bull and even the Ring of Fire. What I simply love about movies like these is that they're not just documentaries about the boxer's lives but their a little more than that. They provide the human element to the way these boxers fought and lived their lives accustomed to their culture. In Cinderella Man we are shown a very detailed portrait as to how hard life was in America during the Great Depression era. The story revolves around a certain character named James J. Braddock, it is through him we see how living life in the Great Depression was in fact difficult in the early 1930s.

Russell Crowe makes his depiction as James J. Braddock brilliantly, he certainly captures his role as a great man, who ends up losing his bright career as a boxer at the wrong time of the spectrum, it's the Great Depression that ruins his life. Once it hit, James Braddock's boxing declined drastically just like all of the millions of American families that have lost everything they have ever known. The scenes in the movie that show how James Braddock and his family suffer or how their going to pay for the bills such as the heat, food or the electricity are very touching and sad, they executed this perfectly in the movie. Renee Zellweger plays Mae and does a wonderful job at it as well, the loveable but yet sometimes feisty wife of James J Braddock.

Paul Giamatti plays his role beautifully as James Braddock's agent/manager Joe Gould. Joe Gould tries to stay atop with his top notch clothes and appearance. Than we suddenly realize in one scene that Joe Gould doesn't have very much to show for as far as his reputation is concerned, he has nothing but a table and a couple of chairs in his swanky apartment, it shows that everyone is feeling the affects of the Great Depression. The film does an unbelievable job in capturing the tragedy that was the Great Depression by showing the homeless people in Central Park, the whole array of unemployment, and even the way that looked up to James Braddock as their icon to raise their spirits.

There were many times in the movie in which Ron Howard the director showed too many close ups that ended up unbalanced. In all of the boxing matches, it made it that much harder to tell the difference between the boxers. He also shows this when James Braddock's working outside as a longshoreman. Ron Howard's weakness is in movie artistry, his forte is in developing dramatic characters and also in storytelling.

The whole acting cast as well as the storyline was one of the most intriguing points of the movie Cinderella Man. The true genius of this movie lies in Russell Crowe's depiction as James J Braddock the boxer. It was his heart and dedication that made him a favorite amongst the American people in and out of the ring. One scene that really stood out to me most was one James Braddock and Mae argue that even in the hardest times, he would do anything in his power to be with his kids. James J Braddock as a boxer was indeed a fearless fighter in the ring, but through all of the difficult challenges he's faced in order to support his family, he's finally won. He clearly demonstrated the bravado it took to do something he did and succeed- something that we should all learn as a valuable life lesson even in today's society. This movie is indeed a must watch movie, it gets two thumbs up by me for the movies shear genius. I truly appreciate the individuals that have taken time out of their day to read this review I am certainly thankful for that.