Saturday, December 8, 2007

Cinderella Man

CM
This is a movie I had no intention of seeing. Two reasons were because the time period is the Depression and it was a movie about boxing! It wasn't until one of my sisters highly recommended the movie that we finally decided to watch it.

It was such a beautiful story of family...a Catholic family.

This is a story inspired by the true life of boxer James J. Braddock. He was an up and coming boxer during the depression, making a name for himself when he fell on hard times. However, his love of his wife and children always came first. He would do what was necessary to take care of them. Some scenes were hard to watch, especially the way he had to humble himself when he needed to get money.

"That common-man hero was James J. Braddock-a.k.a. the "Cinderella Man"-who was to become one of the most surprising and inspirational sports legends in history. By the early 1930s, the impoverished ex-prizefighter was seemingly as broken-down, beaten-up and out-of-luck as much of the rest of the American populace. Like so many others, Braddock had hit rock bottom. His career appeared to be finished, he was unable to pay the bills, the only thing that really mattered to him-his family-was in danger, and he was even forced to go on Public Relief. But deep inside, Jim Braddock never relinquished his determination. Driven by love, honor and an incredible dose of grit, he willed an impossible dream to come true".
From the James J. Braddock Official Website.

This is one of those movies that makes you feel good after you watched it. It is a family-oriented film but because of the violent nature of boxing, I would not recommend it for children under 14 or even 16.

Personally, I liked that the "Cinderella Man" was a Jersey boy. In fact, my sister the one who recommended the movie, went to see it with her spiritual advisor, Fr. Raymond Beach. Fr. Raymond really looked forward to seeing the movie because in real life, he was the altar boy who served at the wedding of Jim Braddock. Throughout the movie, Fr. Raymond was hoping they would show a little altar boy at the wedding. But unfortunately, that was not a scene in the movie. He really liked it nevertheless.

Click HERE for trailer.

6 comments:

Maria Rioux said...

We very much enjoyed Cinderella Man as well, though I couldn't take all the pummeling in the final boxing scene. That's what my blanket is for. I can pull it over my head in a flash. Alternatively, you can use the fast forward button, but, without the pummeling, it's hard to appreciate the level of grit, determination and sacrifice.
One other aspect of this film that I liked was the way in which Braddock was shown to be manly but not macho, brave but not reckless, capable but not arrogant.
God bless,
Maria

love2learnmom said...

This is really a great movie!

"I'm fighting for milk."

Wow.

Ana Braga-Henebry said...

OK-- you will not believe it, but our teens own this film (a gift) and have watched it many times, and I have yet to watch it! ;-)

Maureen said...

Me too Esther! I didn't want to see it either because of the boxing and the era. But it was getting such rave reviews in the Catholic press that Rob was able to talk me into it. And I ended up loving it!

Charlotte (WaltzingM) said...

This was a truly amazing movie. I usually do not care for any kind of blood and guts movie, but this one really didn't bother me. In fact, now that you have mentioned it, I might have to go watch it again soon!

EC Gefroh said...

It's been playing on TBS all weekend. That is why I remembered to post on it :-)