Cinderella Man
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Cinderella Man is a 2005 American Academy Award-nominated drama film titled after the nickname and inspired by the real life story of former Heavyweight boxing champion, James J. Braddock. The film was produced by Ron Howard, Penny Marshall, Brian Grazer.
Primary cast:
- Russell Crowe - Jim Braddock
- Renée Zellweger - Mae Braddock
- Paul Giamatti - Joe Gould
- Craig Bierko – Max Baer
- Paddy Considine - Mike Wilson
- Connor Price - Jay Braddock
- Angelo Dundee - Angelo the cornerman
Plot synopsis
A tough Irish kid from the streets, Braddock was a once-promising light heavyweight boxer forced to give up on boxing after losing a number of fights. As the United States enters the Great Depression, Braddock worked at a variety of menial jobs to support his family, but still dreams of somehow returning to boxing and making it big. Thanks to a last minute cancellation by another boxer, Braddock gets a second chance to fight but is put up against the number two contender in the world by the promoters who see Braddock as nothing more than a punching bag. Braddock stuns the boxing experts and fans with a third round knockout of his formidable opponent. Fighting with permanent injuries to his hands, Braddock continues to win and before long he comes to represent the hopes and aspirations of the American public coping with the Depression. Dubbed the "Cinderella Man," in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, he would eventually defeat the invincible Max Baer to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
Connection to A Beautiful Mind
Some observers have asserted parallels to the 2001 movie A Beautiful Mind. In support of their argument, they point out the two movies share many key personnel, including the lead actor, director, executive producer, two producers, screenplay writer, film editors, casting directors, production designer, foley editor, and visual effects executive producer. Both films are biographical, historical dramas following the career of a single person during the middle of the 20th century, and are set in the Eastern Seaboard of the United States: New Jersey and Massachusetts. Both were produced by Imagine Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. Both films had visual effects supplied by Digital Domain.Filming
During filming in Toronto, several areas were redressed to resemble 1930s New York. The Richmond Street side of the The Bay Queen Street store was redressed as Madison Square Garden, complete with fake store fronts and period stop lights. A stretch of Queen Street East between Broadview and Carlaw was also made up to appear to be from the '30s and dozens of period cars were parked along the road.
The TTC's historic Peter Witt streetcar and two more Witts from the nearby Halton County Radial Railway were painted in New York colors and were used for the filming, traveling on the existing streetcar track.
The filming was done at night, so these important streets could be used during the day.
Reaction
Although the movie received very good reviews from most critics (many described it as "Oscar-worthy") and audiences, it fared relatively poorly at the box office during its first several weeks. During its North American theatrical run, the movie (which cost $88 million) had earned only approximately $60 million. Movies released in the U.S. and Canada are generally considered failures if their domestic release does not recover their cost of production. There are several theories as to why ticket sales were so low:Timing
The film was released in summer, the season of the blockbuster. Would-be Oscar nominees are usually released from autumn onwards, culminating around the Christmas holidays. It is likely that the movie would have been more successful (at least to the extent of recovering its budget) if its North American release had been during that period. However, as of July 2005, it was expected that the movie's worldwide theatrical releases would begin in September, at the onset of the Oscar race, and that the movie will be a success outside the U.S. and Canada and turn a profit for its owners.Crowe’s Eruption
During the morning of 6 June 2005, Russell Crowe, the lead actor of Cinderella Man, threw a telephone at a clerk at the Mercer Hotel in New York during a dispute. The attack left the hotel employee injured and dealt a blow to both Crowe's and Cinderella Man’s public image, thanks to negative publicity by the entertainment media and the hotel employees' union.Depiction of Max Baer
Max Baer is portrayed as a complete villain who behaves inappropriately outside the ring and viciously inside (to the point of killing two opponents in the ring). According to film critic Roger Ebert, boxing historians and Baer's relatives have disputed the film's version of Baer and have also contributed to the negative publicity. Baer's relatives and boxing historians have criticized the film's depiction of him, arguing that he killed only one man in the ring, Frankie Campbell, not two, and was considered to be a gentleman by the man who defeated him for the title, Louis. This is supported by historical evidence which shows that Baer's demeanor, both within and outside the ring, was much less brutal than the film portrayed. Others assert that Baer was kind, charismatic, loved and respected, pointing out the emotional pain that Baer endured the rest of his life following Campbell's death, and the fact that he gave purses from his bouts to Campbell's family.External links
- [Cinderella Man DVD Official Universal Studios site]
- [}}}] at Rotten Tomatoes
- [}}}] at Box Office Mojo
- [Review of Cinderella Man]
- [DVD review of the film]
- [Movie Review] Xdafied.com.au
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