Cinderella Man | Review

Howard’s take on the working class hero comes across like a fixed fight.

Whether it be in horse racing, boxing or any other national pastime – the subgenre of the sports drama always addresses what everyone (including Hollywood producers) loves – the tale of the underdog. Americana director Ron Howard’s films are like good old fashion apple pie – always dependable, satisfying yet the recipe doesn’t change over time and carries no surprises. With Cinderella Man, one finds the common attributes of a Howard film – a strong lead in Russell Crowe, the emphasis on the human drama and a final act that is far from surprising but yet still manages to hold the viewer’s attention until the end credits.

Set during the great depression when lots of people lost more than their shirts off their backs – one man does everything to not lose his along with the last two items that are keeping him from a personal TKO – they are his family and his pride. Based on the down-but-not-out story of boxer James J. Braddock, screenwriter Cliff Hollingsworth and Akiva Goldsman are interested more in a tale about faith rather than fate. When backed up in the corner of the ring, the narrative convincingly illustrates the protagonist’s high-end struggle, but once the left and right hook exchanges and ring sequences are replaced by the boondocks and family life it appears as if the tone of the picture drops significantly into a trying but not succeeding inspirational story.

This is a drama which would have largely benefited from a better aesthetic value – instead of screaming poverty and misery, the set décor looks more like a fine oil painting. Lacking the emotional punch for a strong family drama, this biopic is still a technically strong endeavor in the action sequences. The mise-en-scene featuring shots of the boxing ring and the editing and lighting of the boxing sequences delivers an aesthetically pleasing one-two punch and a nice diversion from the main storyline. While the final act is stamped with the predictable Apollo 13 mission results, viewers will still find the climatic fight between a champ and a chump pleasing. But after 3 fights and 30 rounds later, there is still a thirst for the higher end portion of drama – and a more raw interpretation of Braddock’s personal misery is lacking and which is something that is not necessarily found in miscast Renée Zellweger’s wife character and is nowhere near sight with Paul Giamatti’s colorful but caricatured trainer role.

Something that would have better suited Million Dollar Baby is a lower-profile ending – which is available here. The happily ever after badge is divulged in a commendable fashion but is hardly as satisfying as the overall caliber presented in the previous Howard-Crowe effort A Beautiful Mind. Raging Bull still remains the pivotal boxing drama picture – but despite the lack of inspiration and the fabricated texture of the film, the apt tale of Cinderella Man is still a semi-satisfying piece and definetely not an early Oscar contender as many critics have cited.

Rating 1.5 stars