Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6270 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-01-30
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Danish, English, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 139 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Cinderella Man is a wholesome slice of old-fashioned Americana, offering welcomed relief from the shallowness of many summer blockbusters. In dramatising the legendary Depression-era comeback of impoverished boxer Jim Braddock, director Ron Howard benefits from another superb collaboration with his A Beautiful Mind star Russell Crowe, whose portrayal of Braddock is simultaneously warm, noble, and tenacious without resorting to even the slightest hint of sentimental melodrama.

The desperate struggle of the American Depression is more keenly felt here than it was in Seabiscuit, and Howard shows its economic impact in ways that strengthen the bonds between Braddock, his supportive wife--Renée Zellweger--and three young children, and his loyal manager, played by Paul Giamatti; all are forced to make sacrifices leading up to Braddock's title bout against heavyweight champion Max Baer in one of greatest boxing matches in the history of the sport.

Boasting the finest production design, cinematography and editing that Hollywood can offer, this is a feel-good film that never begs for your affection; it's just good, classical American filmmaking, brimming with qualities of decency and fortitude that have grown all too rare in the big-studio mainstream. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
Director Ron Howard and star Russell Crowe re-team after their Oscar-winning collaboration, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, for this rousing biopic. It's the true story of boxer James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe), a heavyweight contender from New Jersey nicknamed the Bulldog of Bergen, who lost his fame and fortune during the Great Depression only to win the hearts of the downtrodden during a spectacular comeback. Crowe is masterful as Braddock, with Renee Zellweger playing his wife, and Paul Giamatti as his loyal friend and manager, Joe Gould. The sharply observed script devotes a significant amount of screen time to the domestic struggles of Braddock's family; developing character and place with a wealth of period detail, so when the comeback starts, the payoff is enormous. The matches themselves are unforgettable: raw, intense, riveting, with more than a passing stylistic nod to Martin Scorsese's groundbreaking 1980 film, RAGING BULL. Though it may sound a bit formulaic, one should remember that this is the true and original underdog boxer story from which all others hail, and it's riveted together with true craftsmanship. Howard has a real skill for plucking audience members' heartstrings, and the performances are first-rate. Giamatti and Crowe play off each other in a rapport perfectly suited to their roles, especially at the ring, where the one's manic intensity makes a perfect contrast to the other's warrior grace.

Customer Reviews

Crowe Superb
Cinderella Man features a great performance from Russell Crowe as Jimmy Braddock ,a quite remarkable real life Heavyweight boxer who plied his trade in New York during the depression of the late twenties early thirties.
Some of this fare we have seen in numerous boxing movies over the years but it is all very well realised by director Ron Howard.
The poverty and the sheer squalor of the depression years are also portrayed convincingly and Jimmy’s constant battle to provide for his family is extremely moving.
Paul Giamatti is terrific as Jimmy’s manager though Rene Zelwegger is really wasted in the role of the wife.
It is a long movie but well worth the time.

Good movie with one bad flaw.
Cinderella Man is an excellent piece of movie entertainment. It is a great story, made better by fact that it is almost true. It looks great, the music hits just the right mood and the performances are excellent. The only place this movie falls down is in the portrayal of Max Baer. Craig Bierko does a good job of doing what he is asked to do, i.e. make Baer a boo hiss baddy. The only problem is that Baer wasn't a bad man. He had faults just like everybody else but he was not a cold hearted man killer who took a pride in his reputation of being a lethal puncher. Baer was genuinely heartbroken after he killed Frankie Campbell in an earlier fight. Many boxing historians cite this as being one of the main reasons he never achieved the greatness he could have in the sport. He put Campbell's children through college and also donated purses from later fights to his family. Ernie Schaff was not killed by the first little nothing jab that Primo Carnera landed on him. It is true that he was injured in a fight with Baer, but it was his decision to take the fight with Carnera knowing he was not 100%, and he went 11 rounds before he finally went down. Baer wanted to make people laugh far more than he ever wanted to hurt them. He liked the money and the fame that boxing brought, but very little else. I feel it is important that Hollywood starts to get their facts straight about real people and real situations instead of altering them in order to make the plot a little bit more convenient. Baer still has living relatives who are having to watch a man they knew and loved and who died of a heartattack at a relatively young age, turned into a pantomime villian to suit the scriptwriters. Not only does this subtract from Baer the man, it also subtracts from Braddock, who was a genuinely decent man who had to come back from appalling poverty to win the title, and also the movie itself. It is far more interesting to watch a movie that gives you a clear and accurate description of real people and real events rather than a piece of hokum. Cinderella Man isn't hokum. It has too many good points for it to be anything other than a good film, but it could have been a very good or a great film if it had been fair.

Magnificent performance by Russell Crowe
"Cinderella Man" is about a down-and-out guy who makes an astonishing boxing comeback and wins the title during the Depression. What makes this movie stand out from other under-dog boxing films is the sensitive and endearing performance of Russell Crowe. It really is one of his best roles ever.

Crowe looks the part of Jim Braddock; his face is craggy and lined, his tired eyes reflect desperation, fear, and hope. He is as convincing in the brutal boxing scenes as he is in the tender moments he shares with Renee Zellweger, who plays Jim's wife, Mae. The sentimentality never becomes maudlin, however, and we come to like and admire Jim for the love he has for his family and his determination to do whatever he has to do to support them and keep them together.

Two scenes define Braddock even more than the boxing matches: The first is when he is reduced to begging, hat in hand, from his former associates in order to have the heat turned back on in his pitiful basement apartment. The second is when Jim goes to the relief office and repays the money he had been given. These scenes show Jim was a man of intense pride and inner strength; he didn't complain about being poor or shirk his responsibilities. "Cinderella Man" is a very good fim!