Cinderella Man
Cinderella Man | |
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Directed by | Ron Howard |
Screenplay by |
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Story by | Cliff Hollingsworth |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Salvatore Totino |
Edited by | |
Music by | Thomas Newman |
Production companies | |
Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 144 minutes[4] |
Country | United States[3] |
Language | English |
Budget | $88 million[5] |
Box office | $108.5 million[5] |
Cinderella Manis a 2005 Americanbiographicaldrama 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.The film marked the second collaboration for Howard and Crowe, succeedingA Beautiful Mind(2001).
Universal PicturesandMiramax FilmsreleasedCinderella Manin the United States on June 3, 2005. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $108 million worldwide.[6]
Cinderella Manreceived threeAcademy Awardnominations, includingBest Supporting Actorfor Giamatti. Crowe and Giamatti both receivedGolden Globe AwardandScreen Actors Guild Awardnominations for their performances, and Giamatti won aCritics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor.Retrospective critical reviews have namedCinderella Manas one of the greatestbo xing filmsof all time.[7][8][9]
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]- Russell CroweasJames J. Braddock
- Renée Zellwegeras Mae Braddock
- Paul GiamattiasJoe Gould
- Bruce McGillas James Johnston
- Craig BierkoasMax Baer
- Paddy Considineas Mike Wilson
- David Huband as Ford Bond
- Connor Priceas Jay Braddock
- Ariel Waller as Rosemarie "Rosy" Braddock
- Patrick Louis as Howard Braddock
- Rosemarie DeWittas Sara Wilson
- Linda Kashas Mrs. Gould
- Nicholas Campbellas Sporty Lewis
- Gene Pyrz as Jake
- Chuck Shamataas Father Roddick
- Ron Canadaas Joe Jeanette
- Alicia Johnston as Alice
- Troy RossasJohn Henry Lewis
- Mark Simmons asArt Lasky
- Art BinkowskiasCorn Griffin
- David Litzinger as Abe Feldman
- Matthew G. Taylor asPrimo Carnera
- Rance Howardas Announcer Al Fazin
- Robert Norman Smithas reporter
- Angelo Dundeeas bo xing trainer
- Clint Howardas Abe Feldman fight referee
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.[10]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.[11]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,[12]while20th Century Foxhad unsuccessfully tried a similar ploy for its 1994 remake ofMiracle on 34th Street.
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]Cinderella Manearned $61.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $46.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $108.5 million.[5]
In the United States and Canada,Cinderella Manopened alongsideThe Sisterhood of the Traveling PantsandLords of Dogtown,and ranked fourth for the weekend with $18.3 million, a gross that was lower than expected.[6]In its second weekend, the film dropped 46.9% to sixth, grossing $9.7 million. In its third weekend, the film dropped another 42.7% to seventh, taking in $5.6 million.
The film's second biggest market was Japan, where it grossed $2.5 million in its opening weekend and ranked fifth.[13]The film ended its run in the country with a $10.1 million gross.
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. "[14]Metacriticassigned the film a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film a rare average grade of "A+".[16]
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 ".[17]
Accolades
[edit]Legacy
[edit]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.[63]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
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- ^"The 25 best bo xing movies of all time, ranked".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedAugust 14,2024.
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External links
[edit]- 2005 films
- 2005 biographical drama films
- 2005 drama films
- 2000s American films
- 2000s English-language films
- 2000s sports drama films
- American biographical drama films
- American bo xing films
- American sports drama films
- Biographical films about sportspeople
- Cultural depictions of American people
- Cultural depictions of boxers
- English-language biographical drama films
- English-language sports drama films
- Films directed by Ron Howard
- Films distributed by Disney
- Films produced by Brian Grazer
- Films produced by Ron Howard
- Films scored by Thomas Newman
- Films set in Hudson County, New Jersey
- Films set in New York City
- Films set in the 1920s
- Films set in the 1930s
- Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario
- Films shot in Toronto
- Films with screenplays by Akiva Goldsman
- Great Depression films
- Imagine Entertainment films
- Irish-American culture
- Miramax films
- Touchstone Pictures films
- Universal Pictures films