A Beautiful Gladiator
CINDERELLA MAN

RATING: B+

Starring: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Bruce McGill, Paddy Considine. Music by Thomas Newman, Costume Designer Daniel Orlandi, Co-Executive Producer James Whitaker, Edited by Mike Hill, Dan Hanley, Production Designer Wynn Thomas, Director of Photography Salvatore Totino, Produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Penny Marshall, Story by Cliff Hollingsworth, Screenplay by Cliff Hollingsworth and Akiva Goldsman, Directed by Ron Howard.

Rated PG-13, Running time 144 mins., 2.40 to 1 Anamorphic Scope Aspect Ratio.

One decade. Ten years.  That's how long it's been since Ron Howard made a movie that worked for me.  Howard's "Apollo 13" should have definitely won the Oscar for director and Best picture, but that honor was bestowed upon Mel Gibson's "Braveheart".  Gibson and Howard were collaborating on "Ransom" at the time, a film with an interesting premise that ultimately became predictable and generic.  He followed that with "Ed TV" a somewhat humorous film that was overshadowed by the previous year's more complex and expertly executed "The Truman Show."  When I heard Howard was teaming up with Jim Carrey and make-up man Rick Baker for "The Grinch" my excitement was soon washed away by a soulless commercial nightmare that nevertheless became a blockbuster extravaganza.  That was followed by the severely over-rated "A Beautiful Mind" that left me feeling manipulated, but scored Howard the Oscar he sorely deserved years earlier.  Peter Jackson and his "Lord of the Rings" team would not get their due until two years later.  When Howard followed that up with his "The Searchers" rip-off "The Missing", I truly felt the man whose directorial career I followed for over twenty-years had truly become an imitator instead of an innovator.

I think I've seen just about every one of Howard's films theatrically since "Night Shift".  Even box-office disappointments like "Gung-Ho", "The Paper" and the 70 millimeter fiasco "Far & Away" worked for me.  I appreciated those films more than hits like "Cocoon" and "Willow" because they were made with heart and had underlying humanity beneath the surface.  Howard picked up a lot of skills from mentors like Roger Corman and George Lucas and was trying to find his own voice, he wanted to break through.  Surprisingly, it was after he became successful that he began to imitate the styles of other directors like Billy Wilder and Steven Spielberg.  Despite my disappointment in his films I still held out hope that he had another great picture in him, one that made me feel as proud as I did when he finally got "Apollo 13" made.  "Cinderella Man" isn't Howard's greatest film, but it is a damn fine theatrical experience and I haven't felt this enthusiastic about a Howard film in exactly a decade, ten years ago this very month.

When I heard Howard was re-teaming with his "A Beautiful Mind" star Russell Crowe I got a little nervous.  Despite its acclaim I really felt the two of them cheated me with that film, trying to manipulate the audience with a picture designed just to win Academy awards.  Just like Howard, I was a fan of Crowe since early in his career and it wasn't until his last feature "Master and Commander" that I was reminded what a talented performer the man is.  He may have developed a bad reputation amongst the media, but give him a well written role and the man will fine tune it like a true craftsman. Crowe plays real life New Jersey boxer James J. Braddock a.k.a. the "Bulldog of Bergen" who falls from great heights with the arrival of the Great Depression in 1929.  Despite loving support from his wife Mae (Renée Zellweger) and complete devotion from his manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti), Braddock finds it difficult to score employment as a dock worker and with a broken hand, loses his boxing license and the ability to support his family.

Raising two boys and one girl, things go from bad to worse as Jim and Mae struggle to feed their kids and keep the electricity and heat from being turned off.  Crowe has always been a very physical actor and even though he's packed on more weight to convincingly portray a boxer it's amazing how still his performance is.  He's known for his aggression on and off the screen, but as Braddock, the Crowe we're familiar with disappears.  Before us stands a quiet man and loving father who struggles with the brave decision to put his family on public assistance and humble himself before his former colleagues, boxing promoters who he begs for any change they can spare.  I'm not sure if he is wearing a prosthetic, but Crowe's ears even seem different, sticking out slightly like Clark Gable and making him appear less threatening.

Much of the drama within the Great Depression sequences could have been overplayed like a bad T.V. movie, but Howard wisely provides us with subtle details that hit the right notes:  the congregation of homeless individuals in Central Park known as "Hooverville", Giamatti's fancy Park Avenue apartment, empty of all it's furniture and Zellweger and her children stealing pieces from a fence to burn as fire wood.  Zellweger, often criticized for her mousy voice and pouty mouth, tosses those mannerisms aside and gives 1000 percent as Braddock's wife who despite her support confesses that she actually prayed in church for him to suffer injury so he wouldn't get killed in the ring.  The chance that Braddock could be killed in the ring increases when he is given the shot of a lifetime.

Paul Giamatti, in a performance that comes close to eclipsing Crowe and Zellweger, fights for Braddock to regain his boxing license and succeeds.  The golden opportunity is a shot at John "Corn" Griffin the number two contender for the Heavyweight title.  It's a $250 payday that Braddock doesn't even have to win, just a spot that needs to be filled within 24 hours.  Things start to take a turn for the better as Braddock miraculously wins that fight and goes on the defeat John Henry Lewis and Art Lasky, giving him a shot at taking the title from Heavyweight champion Max Baer.  Baer, viciously played by Craig Bierko scored fame by killing two men in the ring and has been known to literally detach opponent's brains with his fierce punches.  Despite repeated warnings from promoters, the press and Baer himself, Braddock fearlessly accepts the challenge because he knows he has to put milk on the table.  He doesn't see the danger any greater than that of working on scaffolds at the docks and will go on to make boxing history.   The fact that he's a humble man who considers himself part of the working class wins him a place in the hearts of the American public.

From its fancy advertising and promotion scheme, "Cinderella Man" does indeed look like one of those sappy epics that are designed just to manipulate you.  This film could have ended up like that but I appreciate that Howard has decided to play things simply this time.  In no way are there scenes that exist only to provoke an emotional response and the dramatic moments are spaced out to build to the grand finale in which Braddock faces Baer.  It's predictable how the film will end, but the journey there is the fun part and even within that journey there's the slightest bit of doubt that things will end happily.  Besides being a wonderful drama, this is also a superb boxing picture and Howard keeps the action sequences small and tight saving it all for the Baer bout.  It's difficult not to think of "Raging Bull" or "Rocky" when watching these scenes, but besides the wonderful camera work and sharp editing by Mike Hill and Dan Hanley, the emotional power of the events preceding the action give it real backbone.  The action is also very visceral, but isn't overdone with techniques like a montage style.   For the first time in quite a while, Howard has not collaborated with James Horner, but rather composer Thomas Newman.  Newman's musical score does indeed soar at the appropriate times, but I was appreciative of the fact that there isn't wall to wall music throughout in an effort to manipulate you as Horner does.

With the summer movie season upon us "Cinderella Man" may not seem like the right piece of entertainment to be released at this time but I think its audience is out there.  Howard has kept things simple and hits the nail on the head with an emotional and entertaining piece of art.  He plans on tackling Dan Brown's overrated novel "The DaVinci Code" with Tom Hanks, but my new found enthusiasm now makes me await that film with anticipation.  Why did it take so long for me to feel this much joy about a Ron Howard film again?  As for Crowe, he continues to amaze with his ability to bring intelligence and humanity to a character.  I truly enjoyed the scene where he criticizes fight promoter Bruce McGill over his concern for his well being, comparing himself to dockworkers and homeless men and stating that McGill and his contemporaries haven't found a way to make money off of those kinds of people yet.  Zellweger's role as devoted wife is no easy task and her talent makes her character flesh and blood rather than a cardboard cut-out.  As for Paul Giamatti, his humanity and the sacrifices he makes for Crowe's character demonstrate what an underrated talent he truly is.  I still feel that Giamatti was robbed last year, not even scoring a nomination for his performance in "Sideways".  If "Cinderella Man" remains in the hearts and minds of Academy members within the next few months, maybe he'll get his chance.