DVD Review: "Cinderella Man"

Via NetFlix, we enjoyed "Cinderella Man" on the Saturday stay-at-home date night. The film starred Russell Crowe and Renee Zellwegger with a super supporting performance for Paul [can you say "robbed by George Clooney"?] Giamatti. It is the real life story of boxer James J. Braddock who was a light heavyweight contender in the late 1920s. He and his family were hard hit by the Depression and he worked as a day laborer on the docks to make ends meet. After a long break during which he didn't box, he took a fight for the money and won. This began a comeback which is beautifully depicted in the film.

The story is the great American underdog story, but the real heart of this film is the love this man has for his family and friends. This is a love story of a married couple. It is filmed in era-appropriate drab-vision and Russell Crowe is pound-for-pound the best actor anywhere today. Renee Zellwegger is good as wife Mae and almost makes me forget what she did to Kenney Chesney last year. Giamatti is perfect in this role.

The director's commentary on the DVD by Ron Howard starts out great. But with the movie running 2+ hours, we didn't have the time to watch it all and so we only heard the first 15 minutes or so. Howard tells a great story on film and he chooses good stories. He is unashamed of being a nepotist [his brother and father both have roles in this film] and a traditionalist.

Rent this movie. It shoulda' been a contender for best picture.