I love this movie so much

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

An Exercise In Nonsense

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

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.

In the film Russell Crowe plays a boxer named James Braddock who is married to Mae Braddock who is played by Renee Zellweger. James is managed by Joe Gould who is played by Paul Giamatti. James is a promising young boxer. After injuries hinder his ability to fight lowers his performance no one will give him a fight. The great depression hits and takes a toll on James and his family. He is given a chance to fight one last time makes the most of it and works his way up the ladder to become the champion of his weight class. The rise does not come without its struggles and conflict within his family. The theme of the film is that you must do whatever it takes to care for and be with your family. Throughout the film when James is fighting, when given his second chance, he has flashbacks to his family struggling. This gives the impression that he is fighting for his family and the betterment of them. He is determined that no matter what happens he will win the fight and he will do it for his family. Another scene that demonstrates the theme is when his son is caught stealing. When he makes his son return the item he stole he promises him that he will never split their family apart. Many families had to be split apart because of the tough economic times. The scene where James is working on the docks with a broken hand also demonstrates the theme. He is hiding his injury and working through a lot of pain to ensure that his family can stay together. He is determined that there is nothing that is going to keep him from doing whatever he can to keep his family together. There were also thematic elements that played into the role of determining the theme. The lighting in the home helps to show the theme. The apartment they are staying in is dark except for the faces of the family members, which shows the importance of the family. It is also symbolic that there are no lights on in the house when the kids have to leave the home. In addition to the lighting the angles in the film also show examples of the theme. When James is entering the ring the angle of the camera is above him. When he is in the ring there are angles that show him from a ringside perspective that gives the illusion he is high in the air. This shows that he is doing something that is helping his family and is being propped up for doing so. The film Castaway has similar items to the theme of this film. In Castaway Chuck has a will to survive and stay alive because of his wife. This shows that it is imperative to do whatever it takes to care for and be with your family.

I remember watching this movie as a 14 year old and it made a massive impression on me. I have watched many sports movies but none come close to this one in terms of being inspirational and as well acted. Russell Crowe's performance as James J Braddock to me rates alongside Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight as the finest I have seen in a movie. Cinderella Man showed the struggle of a country struggling through the Great Depression in an appropriate and gritty manner and also showed Braddock's struggle to help his family survive through it. The boxing scenes were brilliant and incredibly realistic. Paul Giamatti's performance as Braddock's manager was sublime and along with Renee Zellweger's performance as Braddock's wife (Mae) who's chemistry alongside Crowe was incredlble. The final fight scene where Braddock faces Baer in the final round with the radio announcer calling it (much to the dismay of Mae) is still something I get goosebumps watching. This, to me, is the best film I have seen and appropriately does justice to the life of one of America's greatest real life underdog tales

This is a classic story that you see someone go from nothing at all to having success and having everything he could imagine. James Braddock (Russel Crowe), a once proud and successful boxer had the glory and won every bout he ever fought. With the difficult time with the Great Depression and the injured hand he had, it was really hard for him to fight and let alone even get booked for a fight. This lead James to take odd jobs just to make ends meet to take home to his wife Mae Braddock (Renee Zellweger) and family. This lead James to go to his promoter Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti) to do anything to get back into the ring. Joe went ahead and finally got James booked for a fight. Unfortunately, James had to fight the number two contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Everyone in the boxing world didn't give James a shot to win. He proved everyone dead wrong. By gaining a victory, that put him in position for a championship bout. Again being the underdog, he rose to the occasion to become the World Heavyweight Champion. He overcame all the odds to find new found glory and this time he had time to enjoy and soak it in. I feel that this movie had a reference towards Rocky. Not just because it is about boxing, but it also has that feel good success story element to the film. It also has a feel with the kind of cities that they grew up in. James lived in a rough part of New Jersey and Rocky was in a hard environment of Philadelphia. One last thing is how and where they did their training. They both had dimly lit gyms, old gear, and a ring that looked like it was on its last leg. The only difference about the two would be the time of history that these two movies took place. The one element that I would say about Cinderella Man would be the lighting. During his decline of fame, everything had a dark feeling. James and Mae's house was the perfect example. They went without power and ran their house with candles. Secondly, the gym that he was training in. It just had a feeling of sadness and hardships. On the other hand, the movie had great lighting at times. Once he found his glory again, it was camera flashes, big time arena crowds, and an overall positive attitude. Next, I would have to say that the motif was a good element to the movie. It kept on showing the crowds at different bouts and his difficult living conditions. Overall, I found this to be a great movie. This shows that anything can be accomplished when you put the work and force into anything to want to do in life. It all comes down to the old saying, if you want it, go get it.