Cinderella Man Review

Russell Crowe is one of those actors who just can't seem to stay out of the news. From his cavorting around with Meg Ryan to his short temper with the paparazzi, the guy manages to consistently be in the middle of something- even when he prefers to keep a low profile. Luckily and more importantly for us, he's also a fantastic actor. He's one of a handful of Hollywood headliners that I can say I really see as the character he/she is portraying, not as just the actor *cough* Tom Cruise *cough*. Crowe put on great performances in L.A. Confidential, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander and now Cinderella Man. It would seem the secret of his success is to simply make a movie that is set in the past. Proof of Life (the present) and Virtuosity (the future) both pretty much bombed. Cinderella Man is one of those movies that is everything it sets out to be. That's actually pretty typical of a Ron Howard movie- he doesn't aim for anything revolutionary or particularly mind-blowing...the guy just knows how to develop characters and tell their stories very well. Playing husband and wife, Russell is terrific as usual and Rene Zellweger comes through yet again with a solid performance. For me, the real shining star of the film was Paul Giamatti, who fits his character like a glove and really gives the film a perfect amount of energy as a motormouth boxing promoter. I was also impressed with Howard's attention to detail in recreating New York City during The Great Depression. Part of what gives Cinderella its emotional steam is how effectively it portrays the hardships of people during this time and how desperate they were to have something positive to get behind. You'd have to have a heart of stone to not garner some measure of joy from this film. In the tradition of Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, Howard gives yet another glowing tribute to a hero with a story worth telling.

Torrey's Opinion:
5- Strongly Recommended
4- Recommended
3- A Mixed Bag
2- Sub-par
1- Don't Bother

Random Related Fact: Russell Crowe dislocated his shoulder while training for the film's boxing sequences, which delayed the film for two months.