Rent Cinderella Man (2005)

Eat afterwards - Cinderella Man review by JD

This is the biography of James Braddock a light heavy weight boxer from New York. The terrible poverty suffered by him his family and those around will make you feel hungry. If you eat afterwards you can empathise his family's pain. Boxing films can be dramatically good though there are a few dreadful ones. This is one which is full of period atmosphere and gripping drama. Crowe is brilliant, Zellweger isn't too bad either.

Entertaining If Routine Period Boxing Biopic - Cinderella Man review by GI

This biopic of 1930s American boxer James Braddock follows a fairly straightforward narrative arc. It's a rag to riches and triumph over adversity story with big production values and a top cast. But for all that it's a routine story of Braddock (Russell Crowe) a reasonably talented boxer, who because of injury loses his licence and during the Depression struggles to support his family until he's given a return to the ring opportunity by his old trainer, Joe (Paul Giamatti). This proves to be the turning point and the film rattles along to the inevitable climactic bout against a ruthless rival. That final bout is grittily re-enacted although a tiny bit of a let down owing to the predictable result. Renée Zellweger plays the wife who supports her husband but hates him fighting and the contrast between the wealthy and the poor during the hard times is emphasised to make the success story even more impressive. Although not a big fan of boxing films I found this entertaining and it recreates the times very well although the usual liberties with the facts are taken so don't believe this is entirely a true account. Otherwise this is ok and worth checking out if you've not seen it.

A magnificent, moving and incredible film with stunning performances by Crowe & Zellweger - Cinderella Man review by Timmy B

A beautifully shot and incredibly moving film.

The true story of James Braddock, coming up through horrific poverty and destitution to claim the world title is so much more than the standard boxing biopic. This is mainly due to the incredible performances from Russell Crowe and Rene Zellweger.

The whole look of the film, as well as the choreography of the fights is exceptional. I loved it and was on the edge of my seat towards the end.

Masterful, moving and flawless.