Oscar-worthy performances in Cinderella Man

Cinderella Man; 2:24; PG-13, for intense boxing violence and some language; Grade: A+

In life, generally speaking, we like to root for winners: Tiger Woods, the Yankees, the Patriots. Such is not the case in the movies. When allowed to see our fantasies manifest themselves onscreen, we always go for the guy who is down on his luck and will have to fight against all the odds to win. I think it works like this because we see ourselves as the underdog. Everyone in life has had a terrible misfortune, of one sort or another, to fight against. Seeing the underdog win can be invigorating, as we adopt their victories to be our own. If they can do it, we think, so then can we.

In the 1930s, during the worst depths of the Depression, the ultimate underdog, boxer Jim Braddock, captured the hearts of the nation as he fought his way back from forced retirement to secure a match with the hard-hitting and greatly feared heavyweight champion, Max Baer. Did Braddock ultimately win that match? I’m not going to tell you, and while you could find out in a jiffy on Google, your movie experience will be better with less knowledge. And what a terrific experience Cinderella Man is.

After teaming up for the Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind, Russell Crowe (Gladiator, Master and Commander) and director Ron Howard (The Missing; Apollo 13) pair up again to create yet another masterpiece in Cinderella Man. A couple of critics have boldly proclaimed Cinderella Man as the best film of 2005. Considering the fact that the year is not even half over, I won’t go so far, but it is definitely the best film yet in 2005, and it’s going to be a tough act for any other movie to follow.

Sustaining a series of injuries, the once great fighter Jim Braddock is forced into retirement and obscurity when he suffers loss after embarrassing loss. With shifts hard to come by at the local docks, he struggles to feed and house his wife (Renee Zellweger) and three children. When Braddock’s friend and manager, Joe Gould (Paul Giamati), arranges one last-minute fight for his buddy, Braddock shocks the world by beating his heavily favored opponent, setting in motion the events that would eventually pit him against champion Baer.

In Cinderella Man, the stakes are raised higher than in any other sports movie I can recall. Having felt the despair of poverty, Braddock is motivated like no other competitor. He doesn’t fight merely for the sake of winning. He fights to keep his children.

Howard and Crowe effectively bring the audience into Braddock’s world. When he feels the indignity of not being able to feed his own children, so too do we. The crucial scene in which Braddock is overwhelmed, finding himself begging for help, is absolutely crushing. Howard will undoubtedly be nominated for an Oscar, as will Crowe, and I’m going to go ahead and make an early prediction that Crowe will win.

Having felt his despair, his eventual rise is infinitely more meaningful and inspiring. That it is a true story (and told accurately, as far as I can tell) heightens the experience.

Adding to the emotional roller coaster that Cinderella Man is, the fight scenes are both realistic and harrowing, perhaps the best of any boxing movie ever made.

And on top of all that, the music by the accomplished Thomas Newman (Finding Nemo, Road to Perdition) is equally magnificent.

I could go on and on about the terrific writing, the cinematography, the this-and-that and whatever, but then I’d just be rambling. Cinderella Man is just flat-out a very well-made movie in every respect. In a summer movie season that is dominated by teen-centric movies, it is nice to see something a little more “adult.” Cinderella Man is one of the best sports movies ever made, and the most utterly enjoyable since Seabiscuit.