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Million Dollar Baby

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This article is about the 2004 film. For other uses, seeMillion Dollar Baby (disambiguation).
Not to be confused withBillion Dollar BabyorMillion Dollar Maybe.
Million Dollar Baby
Theatrical release poster
Directed byClint Eastwood
Screenplay byPaul Haggis
Based onRope Burns: Stories from the Corner
byF.X. Toole
Produced by
Starring
Narrated byMorgan Freeman
CinematographyTom Stern
Edited byJoel Cox
Music byClint Eastwood
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures(North America)
Lakeshore International (international)
Release dates
  • December 5, 2004(2004-12-05)(New York)
  • December 15, 2004(2004-12-15)(United States)
Running time
132 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million[1][2]
Box office$216.8 million[3]

Million Dollar Babyis a 2004 Americansports drama filmdirected, co-produced, scored by and starringClint Eastwoodfrom a screenplay written byPaul Haggis,based on stories from the 2000 collectionRope Burns: Stories from the CornerbyF.X. Toole,the pen name of fight manager andcutmanJerry Boyd. It also starsHilary SwankandMorgan Freeman.The film follows Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald (Swank), an underdog amateur boxer who is helped by an underappreciated boxing trainer (Eastwood) to achieve her dream of becoming a professional.

Million Dollar Babywas theatrically released on December 15, 2004, byWarner Bros. Pictures.It received critical acclaim and grossed $216.8 million worldwide. The film garnered seven nominations at the77th Academy Awardsand won four:Best Picture,Best Director,Best Actress(for Swank), andBest Supporting Actor(for Freeman). It has since been cited as one of the best films of the 2000s, the 21st century andof all-time.[4][5]

Plot[edit]

Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald, a waitress from theOzarks,comes to the Hit Pit, a rundown boxing gym in Los Angeles operated by Frankie Dunn. Dunn is a cantankerous Irish-American trainer, estranged from his daughter. Maggie asks Frankie to train her, but he refuses because he does not want to train women and believes Maggie is too old. Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris, Frankie's friend and employee, helps Maggie.

Frankie's prize prospect, "Big Willie" Little, signs with the successful manager Mickey Mack after becoming impatient with Frankie rejecting offers for a championship bout. Frankie reluctantly agrees to train Maggie.

Maggie fights her way up in the women's amateur boxing division with Frankie's coaching. Since she has earned a reputation for quick knockouts, Frankie bribes managers to put their trainee fighters against her. Scrap, concerned when Frankie rejects several offers for big fights, arranges a meeting for Maggie with Mickey Mack, but out of loyalty to Frankie, she declines. Frankie bestows Maggie a Gaelic nickname, embroidered on her boxing robe,Mo Chuisle,but does not tell her its meaning. The two travel to Europe as she continues to win. Maggie eventually saves enough of her winnings to buy her mother a house, but her mother berates Maggie for endangering her government aid, claiming that everyone back home is laughing at her.

Frankie is finally willing to arrange a title fight. He secures Maggie a $1 million match in Las Vegas against theWBAwomen's welterweight champion, Billie "the Blue Bear" Osterman, a German ex-prostitute who has a reputation as a dirty fighter. Maggie begins to dominate the fight, but Billie knocks her out with an illegalsucker punchfrom behind after the bell rings to end the round. Maggie lands hard on her corner stool, placed there by Frankie’s assistant, breaking her neck and leaving her a ventilator-dependentquadriplegic.

Frankie goes through thefive stages of grief,seeking multiple doctors' opinions in denial, lashing out in anger at Scrap, and trying to bargain with God through prayer. He later apologizes to Scrap and blames himself. Scrap tells him not to as Maggie owed it to him for getting her shot at the world championship.

While in the hospital, Maggie looks forward to a visit from her family. They arrive only after first touringDisneylandandUniversal Studios Hollywood.Accompanied by an attorney, their sole concern is to get Maggie's assets transferred to them. Disgusted, she orders them to leave and threatens to report theirwelfare fraudif they try to contact her again.

Maggie develops bedsores and undergoes an amputation for an infected leg. She asks Frankie to help her die, declaring that she had everything she wanted out of life. A horrified Frankie refuses, so Maggie later bites her own tongue in an attempt to bleed to death. Knowing the fatherly affection Frankie has developed for Maggie, Frankie's priest warns him that he would never find himself again if he were to go through with Maggie's request. Frankie sneaks into the hospital one night, unaware that Scrap is watching from the shadows. Just before administering a fatal injection of adrenaline, he tells Maggie the meaning of "mo chuisle": "my darling, and my blood", then gives Maggie a final goodbye kiss. He never returns to the gym. Scrap writes to Frankie's daughter, informing her of her father's true character.

Cast[edit]

Development and production[edit]

After being fired from the television seriesFamily Law,Haggis wrote the script onspec,and it took four years to sell it.[6][7]The film was stuck indevelopment hellfor years before it was shot. Several studios rejected the project even when Eastwood signed on as actor and director. Even Warner Bros., Eastwood's longtime home base, would not agree to a $30 million budget. Eastwood persuaded Lakeshore Entertainment's Tom Rosenberg to put up half the budget (as well as handle foreign distribution), with Warner Bros. contributing the rest. Eastwood shot the film in less than 40 days between June and July 2004.[1][2]Filming took place in Los Angeles and film sets at Warner Bros. Studios.[2]The titular phrase 'million dollar baby' was used as an insult duringpre-fight publicitybySonny ListontoMuhammad Ali,the latter of whom was an underdog at the time. Eastwood had his daughter Morgan Colette appear in a cameo as a girl who waves to Swank's character at a gas station.[8][9]

Eastwood had confidence in Swank's acting, but upon seeing Swank's small physique, he had concerns, "I just thought, 'Yeah, this gal would be great. If we can get her trained up. If we can get a little bit more bulk on her, to make her look like a fighter'...She was like a feather. But what happened is, she had this great work ethic."[10]

Consequently, to prepare for her role, Swank underwent extensive training in the ring and weight room, gaining 19 pounds of muscle, aided by professional trainerGrant L. Roberts.She trained for nearly five hours every day, winding up with a potentially life-threateningstaphylococcus infectionout of blisters on her foot. She did not tell Eastwood about the infection because she thought it would be out of character for Maggie.[10]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

Million Dollar Babyinitially had a limited release, opening in eight theaters in December 2004.[11]In its later wide release opening, the film earned $12,265,482 in North America and quickly became a box-office hit both domestically and internationally. It grossed $216,763,646 in theaters; $100,492,203 in the United States, and $116,271,443 in other territories. The film played in theaters for six and a half months.[3]

Critical response[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes,Million Dollar Babyhas an approval rating of 90% based on 269 reviews, with an average rating of 8.40/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Clint Eastwood's assured direction—combined with knockout performances from Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman—helpMillion Dollar Babyto transcend its clichés, and the result is deeply heartfelt and moving. "[12]On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on reviews from 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A" on an A+ to F scale.[14]

Roger Ebertof theChicago Sun-Timesgave the film four stars and stated that "Clint Eastwood'sMillion Dollar Babyis a masterpiece, pure and simple, "listing it as the best film of 2004.[15]Michael Medved stated: "My main objection toMillion Dollar Babyalways centered on its misleading marketing, and effort by Warner Brothers to sell it as a movie about a femaleRocky,with barely a hint of the pitch-dark substance that ledAndrew Sarrisof theNew York Observer...to declare that "no movie in my memory has depressed me more thanMillion Dollar Baby."[16][17]

The performances ofHilary SwankandMorgan Freemangarnered critical acclaim, thus earning them theAcademy AwardforBest ActressandBest Supporting Actorrespectively.

In early 2005, the film sparked controversy when somedisability rights activistsprotested the ending. The Disability Rights Education Fund released a statement about the film in February 2005 that included the following: "Perhaps the most central stereotype fueling disability prejudice is the mistaken assumption inherent in the message of the movie that the quality of life of individuals with disabilities is unquestionably not worth living. This stereotype is contradicted by the personal experience of many thousands of people with significant disabilities in this country and around the world who view our own lives as ordinary and normal. It is further contradicted by plenty of hard data. Research overwhelmingly shows that people with disabilities find satisfaction in our lives to the same degree, or greater, than does the general public."[18]

TheChicago Tribunereported that protests against the film by disability activists occurred in Chicago, Berkeley, and other cities, and that Clint Eastwood had lobbied for weakening provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.[19][20]

Wesley J. Smith inThe Weekly Standardalso criticized the film for its ending and for missed opportunities; Smith wrote "The movie could have ended with Maggie triumphing once again, perhaps having obtained an education and becoming a teacher; or, opening a business managing boxers; or perhaps, receiving a standing ovation as an inspirational speaker."[21]

Eastwood responded to the criticism by saying the film was about theAmerican dream.[22]In an interview with theLos Angeles Times,Eastwood distanced himself from the actions of characters in his films, noting, "I've gone around in movies blowing people away with a.44 Magnum.But that doesn't mean I think that's a proper thing to do ".[23]Roger Ebert stated that "a movie is not good or bad because of its content, but because of how it handles its content.Million Dollar Babyis classical in the clean, clear, strong lines of its story and characters, and had an enormous emotional impact ".[24]

The Gaelic nickname for Swank's character comes from the original phrasea chuisle mo chroí,meaning "O pulse of my heart"; one critic noted that the use of Gaelic in the film led to some interest in the language and the phrase.[25]

Top ten lists[edit]

Million Dollar Babywas listed on many critics' top 10 lists for films released in 2004.[26]

  • 1st – A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis,The New York Times
  • 1st – Roger Ebert,Chicago Sun-Times
  • 2nd – Richard Schickel,Time
  • 2nd – Lisa Schwarzbaum,Entertainment Weekly
  • 2nd – Jonathan Rosenbaum,Chicago Reader
  • 2nd – Claudia Puig,USA Today
  • 2nd – Keith Phipps,The A.V. Club[27]
  • 2nd – Ty Burr and Wesley Morris,Boston Globe
  • 3rd – Kevin Thomas and Kenneth Turan,Los Angeles Times
  • 3rd – Jack Matthews,New York Daily News
  • 3rd – Glenn Kenny,Premiere
  • 3rd – Carla Meyer & Ruthie Stein,San Francisco Chronicle
  • 3rd – Peter Travers,Rolling Stone
  • 4th – Mike Clark,USA Today
  • 4th – David Ansen,Newsweek
  • 4th – Jami Bernard,New York Daily News
  • 5th – Robert Koehler,Variety
  • 5th – James Berardinelli,Reelviews
  • 6th – Stephen Holden,The New York Times
  • 6th – Scott Tobias,The A.V. Club[27]
  • 6th – Richard Roeper,Ebert & Roeper[28]
  • 9th – Desson Thompson,Washington Post
  • 10th – Nathan Rabin,The A.V. Club[27]
  • Top 10 (listed alphabetically) – Ron Stringer,L.A. Weekly
  • Top 10 (listed alphabetically) – David Sterritt,Christian Science Monitor
  • Top 10 (listed alphabetically)– Shawn Levy,Portland Oregonian
  • Top 10 (listed alphabetically) – Carrie Rickey and Steven Rea,Philadelphia Inquirer

Accolades[edit]

Million Dollar Babyreceived the award forBest Pictureof 2004 at the77th Academy Awards.Clint Eastwoodwas awarded his secondBest DirectorOscar for the film, and he received aBest Actor in a Leading Rolenomination.Hilary SwankandMorgan FreemanreceivedBest Actress in a Leading RoleandBest Actor in a Supporting RoleOscars, respectively.Joel Cox,Eastwood's editor for many years, was nominated forBest Film Editing,andPaul Haggiswas nominated for theBest Adapted Screenplayaward.

The film was named the third "Best Film of the 21st Century So Far" in 2017 byThe New York Times.[4]It also ranked number 63 onParade's list of the "100 Best Movies of All Time" in 2023.[5]

Award Category Subject Result
Academy Award Best Picture Clint Eastwood,
Albert S. Ruddyand
Tom Rosenberg 		Won
Best Director Clint Eastwood Won
Best Actor Nominated
Best Actress Hilary Swank Won
Best Supporting Actor Morgan Freeman Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Paul Haggis Nominated
Best Film Editing Joel Cox Nominated
ACE Eddie Best Editing Nominated
Amanda Award Best Foreign Feature Film Clint Eastwood Nominated
American Screenwriters Association Discover Screenwriting Award Paul Haggis Won
Art Directors Guild Award Best Contemporary Feature Film Henry Bumstead
Jack G. Taylor Jr. 		Nominated
Billie Award Best Film Clint Eastwood
Albert S. Ruddy
Tom Rosenberg
Paul Haggis 		Nominated
Black Reel Award Best Supporting Actor Morgan Freeman Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award Best Actress Hilary Swank Won
Best Supporting Actor Morgan Freeman Nominated
Best Director Clint Eastwood Nominated
Best Film Clint Eastwood
Albert S. Ruddy
Tom Rosenberg
Paul Haggis 		Nominated
Casting Society of America Award Best Casting for Feature Film: Drama Phyllis Huffman Nominated
César Awards Best Foreign Film Clint Eastwood
Albert S. Ruddy
Tom Rosenberg
Paul Haggis 		Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Award Best Director Clint Eastwood Won
David di Donatello Awards Best Foreign Film Clint Eastwood Won
Directors Guild of America Award Outstanding Directing Clint Eastwood Won
Director's Guild of Great Britain Outstanding Director Clint Eastwood Nominated
ESPY Award Best Sports Movie Clint Eastwood
Albert S. Ruddy
Tom Rosenberg
Paul Haggis 		Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Award Best Actress Hilary Swank Won
Golden Globe Award Best Actress Won
Best Director Clint Eastwood Won
Best Supporting Actor Morgan Freeman Nominated
Best Motion Picture—Drama Clint Eastwood
Albert S. Ruddy
Tom Rosenberg
Paul Haggis 		Nominated
Best Original Score Clint Eastwood Nominated
Grammy Award Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors Award Best Sound Editing (Sound Effects & Foley) Alar Robert Murray
Bub Asman
David Grimaldi
Jason King 		Nominated
MTV Movie Award Best Female Performance Hilary Swank Nominated
NAACP Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actor Morgan Freeman Won
National Board of Review Award Best Film Clint Eastwood
Albert S. Ruddy
Tom Rosenberg
Paul Haggis 		Nominated
Best Director Clint Eastwood Nominated
Best Actor Nominated
New York Film Critics Circle Award Best Director Won
Producers Guild of America Award Best Theatrical Motion Picture Clint Eastwood
Albert S. Ruddy
Tom Rosenberg
Paul Haggis 		Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award Best Actress Hilary Swank Won
Best Actor Clint Eastwood Nominated
Best Director Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Morgan Freeman Nominated
Best Film Clint Eastwood
Albert S. Ruddy
Tom Rosenberg
Paul Haggis 		Nominated
Satellite Award Best Actress Hilary Swank Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Paul Haggis Won
Screen Actors Guild Award Best Actress Hilary Swank Won
Best Supporting Actor Morgan Freeman Won
Best Cast Nominated

Home media[edit]

The film was released on VHS and DVD on July 12, 2005, and all editions of the Region 1 DVD, except for the deluxe edition, came with a paperback copy of the bookRope Burns: Stories from the Corner.An HD DVD release was issued on April 18, 2006.[29]The Blu-ray Disc version was released on November 14, 2006.[30]It was the firstBest Picturewinner released on either high-definition optical disc format in the U.S.; it andUnforgiven(also starring Eastwood and Freeman) were the only ones released in the U.S. on HD DVD prior to the first one released in the U.S. on Blu-ray,Crash.[30]The film is also available online through video on demand and most major streaming platforms.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abEliot 2009,p. 309.
  2. ^abcHughes 2009,p. 156.
  3. ^ab"Million Dollar Baby (2004)".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
  4. ^abDargis, Manohla; Scott, A.O. (June 9, 2017)."The 25 Best Films of the 21st Century...So Far".The New York Times.RetrievedJuly 8,2017.
  5. ^ab"We Ranked the 100 Best Movies of All Time!".Parade.October 6, 2023.
  6. ^Leibowitz, Ed (February 1, 2008)."The Fabulist: Paul Haggis Reflects on His Career Los Angeles Magazine".Los Angeles Magazine.
  7. ^Clarke, Cath (January 6, 2011)."Paul Haggis: 'You have to question your beliefs'".The Guardian.
  8. ^Hughes 2009,p. 157.
  9. ^Fold 3 WWII Crew photos
  10. ^abLeung, Rebecca (March 2, 2005)."Hilary Swank: Oscar Gold – 60 Minutes".CBS News. Archived fromthe originalon January 20, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 9,2010.
  11. ^Hughes 2009,p. 160.
  12. ^"Million Dollar Baby(2004) ".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.RetrievedApril 1,2021.
  13. ^"Million Dollar BabyReviews ".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.RetrievedFebruary 27,2019.
  14. ^"Million Dollar Baby (2005) A".CinemaScore.Archived fromthe originalon December 20, 2018.
  15. ^Ebert, Roger(January 7, 2005)."Million Dollar Baby".Chicago Sun-Times.Archived fromthe originalon July 25, 2020.RetrievedNovember 26,2007– via RogerEbert.com.
  16. ^Sarris, Andrew (January 17, 2005)."Why Clint Eastwood's Baby Knocked Me Down, Not Out".Observer.RetrievedFebruary 22,2024.
  17. ^Medved, Michael. "My 'Million Dollar' Answer", OpinionJournal/Dow Jones & Company, Inc. (February 17, 2005).Archived at TownHall.com.
  18. ^"Million Dollar Baby Built on Prejudice about People with Disabilities".Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund.February 13, 2005.RetrievedFebruary 15,2021.
  19. ^"Why 'Million Dollar Baby' infuriates the disabled".chicagotribune.com.February 2, 2005.RetrievedFebruary 15,2021.
  20. ^Gaura, Maria Alicia; Gathright, Alan (September 30, 2000)."Eastwood Wins Suit Over ADA / But jury says resort needs improvements".San Francisco Chronicle.RetrievedFebruary 15,2021.
  21. ^Smith, Wesley J. (March 2, 2005)."A Million Dollar Miss".CBS News.
  22. ^Rich, Frank (February 13, 2005)."How Dirty Harry Turned Commie".The New York Times.
  23. ^Lee, Chris (January 27, 2005)."'Baby' plot twist angers activists ".Los Angeles Times.
  24. ^Roger Ebert(January 29, 2005)."Critics have no right to play spoiler".Chicago Sun-Times.RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
  25. ^Davis, Wes (February 26, 2005)."Opinion | Fighting Words (Published 2005)".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon May 29, 2015.
  26. ^"Metacritic: 2004 Film Critic Top Ten Lists".Metacritic.January 3, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon January 3, 2007.
  27. ^abcMurray, Noel (January 5, 2005)."The Year In Film: 2004".The A.V. Club.
  28. ^"Ebert and Roeper Top Ten Lists (2000-2005)".www.innermind.com.RetrievedApril 30,2018.
  29. ^"Million Dollar Baby Blu-ray Review".bluray.highdefdigest.com.November 15, 2006.RetrievedFebruary 22,2024.
  30. ^ab"Historical Blu-ray Disc Release Dates | High Def Digest".bluray.highdefdigest.com.RetrievedMarch 12,2012.
Bibliography

External links[edit]

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