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Cinderella Man

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For other uses, seeCinderella Man (disambiguation).

Cinderella Man
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRon Howard
Screenplay by
Story byCliff Hollingsworth
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySalvatore Totino
Edited by
Music byThomas Newman
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • June 3, 2005(2005-06-03)
Running time
144 minutes[4]
CountryUnited States[3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$88 million[5]
Box office$108.5 million[5]

Cinderella Manis a 2005 Americandrama film[3]directed byRon Howard.The film starsRussell Crowe,Renée ZellwegerandPaul Giamatti.It tells the true story ofheavyweightbo xing championJames J. Braddock,who was dubbed "The Cinderella Man" by journalistDamon Runyon.This is the second collaboration for Howard and Crowe, the first beingA Beautiful Mind(2001).

Universal PicturesandMiramax FilmsreleasedCinderella Manin the United States on June 3, 2005. It received generally positive reviews and grossed $108 million against a budget of $88 million. It received threeAcademy Awardnominations, includingBest Supporting Actorfor Giamatti.

Plot[edit]

James J. Braddockis anIrish-AmericanboxerfromNew Jersey,formerly alight heavyweightcontender, who is forced to give up bo xing after breaking his hand in the ring. This is both a relief and a burden to his wife, Mae. She cannot bring herself to watch the violence of his chosen profession, yet she knows they will not have enough income without his bo xing.

As the United States enters theGreat Depression,Braddock doesmanual laboras alongshoremanto support his family, even with his injured hand. Unfortunately, he cannot get work every day. Thanks to a last-minute cancellation by another boxer, Braddock's longtime manager and friend,Joe Gould,offers him a chance to fill in for just one night and earn cash. The fight is against the number-two contender in the world,Corn Griffin.

Braddock stuns the bo xing experts and fans with a third-round knockout of his formidable opponent. He believes that while his right hand was broken, he became more proficient with his left hand, improving his in-ring ability. Despite Mae's objections, Braddock takes up Gould's offer to return to the ring. Mae resents this attempt by Gould to profit from her husband's dangerous livelihood, until she discovers that Gould and his wife also have been devastated by hard times.

With a shot at the heavyweight championship held byMax Baera possibility, Braddock continues to win. Out of a sense of pride, he uses a portion of his prize money to pay back money to the government given to him while unemployed. When hisrags to richesstory gets out, the sportswriterDamon Runyondubs him "The Cinderella Man", and before long Braddock comes to represent the hopes and aspirations of the American public struggling with the Depression.

After wins againstJohn Henry LewisandArt Lasky,a title fight against Baer comes his way. Braddock is a 10-to-1underdog.Baer is so destructive that the fight's promoter, James Johnston, forces both Braddock and Gould to watch a film of Baer in action, just so he can maintain later that he warned them what Braddock was up against, as Baer had reportedly killed2menin the ring.

Braddock demonstrates no fear. The arrogant Baer attempts to intimidate him, even taunting Mae in public that her man might not survive. When he says this, she becomes so angry that she throws a drink at him. She is unable to attend the fight at theMadison Square Garden Bowlor even to listen to it on the radio.

On June 13, 1935, in one of the greatest upsets in bo xing history, Braddock defeats the seemingly invincible Baer to become the heavyweight champion of the world.

An epilogue reveals that Braddock would lose his title toJoe Louis(who would later call Braddock "the most courageous man I ever fought" ) and later worked on the building of theVerrazzano Bridge,owning and operating heavy machinery on the docks where he worked during the Depression, and that he and Mae used his bo xing income to buy a house, where they spent the rest of their lives.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

During filming inToronto,several areas were redressed to resemble 1930s New York. The Richmond Street side ofThe Bay's Queen Street store was redressed asMadison Square Garden,complete with fake store fronts and period stop lights. A stretch ofQueen Street Eastbetween Broadview and Carlaw was also made up to appear to be from the 1930s and dozens of period cars were parked along the road.Maple Leaf Gardenswas used for all the fight scenes, and many scenes were filmed in theDistillery District.Filming also took place inHamilton, Ontarioat the harbour for the dock workers' scene.[6]The main apartment was shot north ofSt. Clair Avenueon Lauder Avenue on the west side. An awning was put up for a dress shop, later turned into a real coffee shop.

TheToronto Transit Commission's historicPeter Witt streetcarand two more cars from the nearbyHalton County Radial Railwaywere used for the filming, travelling on Toronto's existing streetcar tracks.

Release[edit]

In a campaign to boost ticket sales after the film's low opening,AMC Theatresadvertised on June 24, 2005, that in 30 markets (about 150 theaters nationwide), it would offer a refund to any ticket-buyer dissatisfied with the film.[7]The advertisement, published inThe New York Timesand other papers and on internet film sites, read, "AMC believesCinderella Manis one of the finest motion pictures of the year! We believe so strongly that you'll enjoyCinderella Manwe're offering a Money Back Guarantee. "The promotion moderately increased box office revenue for a short period, while at least 50 patrons demanded refunds. Following suit,Cinemark Theatresalso offered a money-back guarantee in 25 markets that did not compete with AMC Theatres. AMC had last employed such a strategy (in limited markets) for the 1988 release ofMystic Pizza,[8]while20th Century Foxhad unsuccessfully tried a similar ploy for its 1994 remake ofMiracle on 34th Street.

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

Rotten Tomatoesreported an approval rating of 80% based on 215 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "With grittiness and an evocative sense of time and place,Cinderella Manis a powerful underdog story. And Ron Howard and Russell Crowe prove to be a solid combination. "[9]Metacriticassigned the film a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film a rare average grade of "A+".[11]

Roger EbertofThe Chicago Sun-Timesgave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars. He wrote that whileCinderella Manwas effecting as a bo xing movie, its true genius was in Giamatti's "home run" portrayal of Gould and Crowe'sagainst typeperformance as a "level-headed, sweet-tempered" family man: "You'd have to go back to actors likeJames StewartandSpencer Tracyto find such goodness and gentleness ".[12]

The film earned $61 million at the US box office and $108 million worldwide.[5]

Accolades[edit]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards March 5, 2006 Best Supporting Actor Paul Giamatti Nominated [13][14]
Best Film Editing Mike HillandDaniel P. Hanley Nominated
Best Makeup David LeRoy AndersonandLance Anderson Nominated
Australian Film Institute Awards November 26, 2005 AFI International Award for Best Actor Russell Crowe Won [15][16]
Boston Society of Film Critics December 11, 2005 Best Supporting Actor Paul Giamatti Won [17]
British Academy Film Awards February 19, 2006 Best Original Screenplay Akiva Goldsmanand Cliff Hollingsworth Nominated [18][19]
Chicago Film Critics Association January 9, 2006 Best Supporting Actor Paul Giamatti Nominated [20]
Critics' Choice Awards January 9, 2006 Best Picture Cinderella Man Nominated [21][22][23]
Best Director Ron Howard Nominated
Best Actor Russell Crowe Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Paul Giamatti Won
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association December 19, 2005 Top 10 Films Cinderella Man 5th place [24][25]
Best Actor Russell Crowe 5th place
Best Supporting Actor Paul Giamatti Runner-up
Empire Awards March 13, 2006 Best Director Ron Howard Nominated [26]
Best Actress Renée Zellweger Nominated
ESPY Awards July 13, 2005 Best Sports Movie Cinderella Man Nominated [27]
Florida Film Critics Circle December 24, 2005 Best Supporting Actor Paul Giamatti Won [28][29]
Golden Globe Awards January 16, 2006 Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Russell Crowe Nominated [30][31]
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Paul Giamatti Nominated
Golden Trailer Awards May 26, 2005 Summer 2005 Blockbuster Cinderella Man Nominated [32]
Hochi Film Awards December 19, 2005 Best International Picture Cinderella Man Won [33][34]
Hollywood Film Awards October 24, 2005 Hollywood Screenwriter Award Akiva Goldsman and Cliff Hollingsworth Won [35][36][37]
Japan Academy Film Prize March 3, 2006 Outstanding Foreign Language Film Cinderella Man Nominated [38]
London Film Critics' Circle February 8, 2006 British Supporting Actor of the Year Paddy Considine Nominated [39]
Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards March 4, 2006 Best Sound Editing in Feature Film – Dialogue & ADR Anthony J. Ciccolini, Deborah Wallach, Stan Bochner, Dan Korintus, and Kenna Doeringer Nominated [40][41][42]
Nastro d'Argento February 7, 2006 Best Director of a Foreign Film Ron Howard Nominated [43][44]
Online Film Critics Society January 16, 2006 Best Supporting Actor Paul Giamatti Nominated [45][46]
Sant Jordi Awards April 25, 2006 Best Foreign Actor Paul Giamatti Won [47]
Satellite Awards December 17, 2005 Best Motion Picture, Drama Cinderella Man Nominated [48]
Best Overall DVD Cinderella Man Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards January 29, 2006 Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Russell Crowe Nominated [49][50][51]
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Paul Giamatti Won
St. Louis Film Critics Association Best Picture Cinderella Man Nominated
Best Actor Russell Crowe Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Paul Giamatti Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Renée Zellweger Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Association December 21, 2005 Best Supporting Actor Paul Giamatti Won [52]
Vancouver Film Critics Circle February 7, 2006 Best Supporting Actor Paul Giamatti Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 13, 2005 Best Director Ron Howard Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Paul Giamatti Won [53][54]
Women Film Critics Circle December 28, 2005 Best Title, In Recognition of the Hopefully Inner Female in Every Macho Guy Cinderella Man Won [55]
Writers Guild of America Awards February 4, 2006 Best Original Screenplay Akiva Goldsman and Cliff Hollingsworth Nominated [56]
Young Artist Awards March 25, 2006 Best Family Feature Film – Drama Cinderella Man Nominated [57]

Legacy[edit]

Main article:Russell Crowe's jockstrap

In April 2018, Crowe auctioned off as part of his "divorce auction" a number of props he owned which were used by him in his various films, including a jockstrap, pair of shorts and robe which were worn by Crowe inCinderella Man.The items from the film as well as the other items on auction were bought by theHBOtelevision showLast Week Tonight with John Oliver,with the jockstrap having sold for $7,000. The items purchased were then donated to the last operatingBlockbuster Videostore inAlaska.[58]The jockstrap was reported missing; however, in the final episode of season 5 ofLast Week Tonight,John Oliver revealed that it had been taken back and showed a short heist parody filmed with it.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

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External links[edit]

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