Cinderella Man

Capturing the same rousing, Depression-era, hero-of-the-underclass spirit that Seabiscuit mined in 2003, Cinderella Man is, in many ways, just another boxing movie (training montage here, point-of-view punches there, Big Fight finale), but it's also one with an effectively and unabashedly uplifting emotional core. Directed by Ron Howard with a masterful eye for period authenticity, the film's driving force is the never-give-up performance of Russell Crowe, starring as legendary 1930s comeback boxer Jim J. Braddock. Predictable? Of course. But the film is awash in character detail that keeps it feeling fresh until hand-wringing tension takes over in the 15-round championship climax. Although Jim is portrayed as a virtual saint, Crowe's gut-level personification humanizes him, and coupled with Renee Zellweger, who adds heft to the role of the Worrying Wife, the pair bring palpable through-thick-and-thin heart to the story. Granted, the boxing scenes don't break any new ground and Howard does have some trouble successfully incorporating a historical-context subplot about a family friend (Paddy Considine) beaten up for trying to unionize the docks, but Cinderella Man never loses its genuine feel-good essence. Recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions or a two-disc widescreen version with a commemorative book, DVD extras on this two-disc collector's edition include three audio commentaries (one with director Ron Howard; the second with screenwriter Akiva Goldsman; and the third with author and co-screenwriter Cliff Hollingsworth), rare footage from the original 1935 Braddock vs. Baer fight (32 min.), “Russell Crowe's Personal Journey: Becoming Jim Braddock” (28 min.), four pre-fight preparation featurettes (26 min.), “The Fight Card: Casting Cinderella Man” featurette (23 min.), a 22-minute “Lights, Camera, Action: The Fight from Every Angle” behind-the-scenes look at the film's final fight sequence, 37 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary by Howard, “The Man, The Movie, The Legend: A Filmmaking Journey” (14 min.), “Jim Braddock: The Friends and Family Behind the Legend” (12 min.), a nine-minute “Ring Side Seats” segment featuring the filmmakers watching the original fight between Braddock and Baer, “For the Record: A History in Boxing” (7 min.), “The Sound of the Bell” score featurette (7 min.), the six-minute featurette “The Human Face of Depression” with Howard sharing how the Great Depression impacted his own family (6 min.), a three-minute music featurette, a three-minute photo montage, a commemorative book, and photo cards. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for one of 2005's better films.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—May 26, 2009—Universal, 145 min., PG-13, $29.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2005's Cinderella Man sports a fine transfer and includes 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Blu-ray extras are nearly identical to the standard DVD release, including three audio commentaries (one with director Ron Howard; the second with screenwriter Akiva Goldsman; and the third with author and co-screenwriter Cliff Hollingsworth), rare footage from the original 1935 Braddock vs. Baer fight (32 min.), “Russell Crowe's Personal Journey: Becoming Jim Braddock” featurette (28 min.), four pre-fight preparation featurettes (26 min.), “The Fight Card” casting featurette (23 min.), a 22-minute “Lights, Camera, Action: The Fight from Every Angle” behind-the-scenes look at the film's final fight sequence, 37 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary by Howard, the production featurettes “The Man, The Movie, The Legend: A Filmmaking Journey” (14 min.) and “Jim Braddock: The Friends and Family Behind the Legend” (12 min.), a nine-minute “Ring Side Seats” segment featuring the filmmakers watching the original fight between Braddock and Baer, “For the Record: A History in Boxing” (7 min.), “The Sound of the Bell” score featurette (7 min.), the six-minute featurette “The Human Face of Depression” with Howard sharing how the Great Depression impacted his own family (6 min.), a three-minute music featurette, a three-minute photo montage, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: an excellent Blu-ray debut for a fine biopic.]